NHL

Josefson injury has Devils shopping for center

PITTSBURGH — It’s shopping time for the Devils, hit hard by another major injury at center, where they already are hurting most.

General manager Lou Lamoriello acknowledged this morning he will be looking to trade for a center, after losing Jacob Josefson for 3-4 months from surgery to repair the right collarbone he fractured in last night’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Sharks in Newark.

“We’ll see. There’s no question that if you can get a player that will help you, you do it,” Lamoriello said. “But you have to give up something to get something. If you add, you have to make sure what you subtract isn’t more than you receive.”

The Devils already are without No. 1 center Travis Zajac for at least another six weeks from Achilles tendon surgery, and lost their No. 2 natural center in Josefson. They have pressed usual wingers Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora into pivot duty and today recalled C Adam Henrique from Albany for tonight’s game against the Penguins. Dainius Zubrus likely is to move into Josefson’s slot between Ilya Kovalchuk and Nick Palmieri.

“Our top two centers are out. It’s a big loss. They’re big pieces of our team,” Kovalchuk said. “But look at Pittsburgh. They’re missing big guys.”

The Devils will have a close-up look at that example tonight. The Penguins are without world-class centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but still are off to a 5-2-2 start.

Lamoriello indicated he didn’t expect any supplementary discipline for the “illegal hit to the head” penalty incurred by RW Nick Palmieri on Torrey Mitchell last night.

Aside from the charity point, the Devils found little to savor in falling to the Sharks. The loss, from a 2-0 lead, snapped New Jersey’s three-game winning streak.

Kovalchuk was instructed to look for Patrik Elias during power plays, and Kovalchuk followed orders to give New Jersey the opening lead at 13:53 of the first. From the left boards, Kovalchuk stickhandled to find room for the cross-ice pass that Elias held while Antti Niemi did the splits. Elias then fired his 92nd career PPG over Niemi’s glove, tying John MacLean for the team record.

Zach Parise converted the Devils’ first penalty shot of the year while they were killing off Adam Larsson’s first NHL penalty. Parise took off on a shorthanded semi-break and was upended by Brent Burns’ hook to bring New Jersey’s 35th-ever penalty shot. It was Parise’s first NHL penalty shot, and after going 2-for-2 in shootouts this season, Parise calmly and deliberately slipped a backhand under Niemi for his third of the season.

San Jose took over the second thereafter, with a 20-5 shot edge in the period, tying the score on goals by Joe Thornton and Ryan Clowe. Thornton snapped his first of the year under Johan Hedberg’s right skate from the left slot at 15:18 and Clowe’s went in off his skate 1:03 later from a scramble started by an ill-advised pass into the middle by Elias.David Clarkson scored a key third-period goal for the second straight game, both set up by Mattias Tedenby, to put the Devils in front again, with 6:42 left, but Joe Pavelski forced overtime with Niemi pulled for an extra attacker with 32.4 seconds left in regulation.

Kovalchuk raised his shootout record to 3-for-3 this season, and Hedberg stopped Pavelski, but Parise tried his patented backhand to the right corner, and Niemi “knew it was coming,” Parise said. Michal Handzus squared matters at 1-1 with a post shot that went in off Hedberg, setting the stage for Elias to hit Niemi’s pad, and Clowe to end the night with a backhand move.

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After visiting Pittsburgh, the Devils head west to Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas. … Parise’s penalty shot goal was the Devils’ 14th goal on a penalty shot, and fourth in more than 11 years, since Elias connected March 10, 2000. Mattias Tedenby was the Devils’ previous scorer, Nov. 22 last season against the Capitals, and he was denied by Montreal’s Carey Price on April 2. … After being hit by Palmieri, Mitchell did not return to action. … Eric Boulton won a one-punch bout against Douglas Murray, ducking Murray’s haymaker while delivering one of his own.

mark.everson@nypost.com

mark.everson@nypost.com