Bad skate kept Ryan off ice

Coach Randy Carlyle on Sunday made fun of reporters’ questions about why first-line left wing Bobby Ryan missed three shifts in the third period of the Ducks’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks in Game 5 Saturday at San Jose.

But given that Ryan leads the Ducks with four goals -- and given that teams tend to cover up injuries even more zealously this time of year than during the regular season -- curiosity about his absence was reasonable.

“Players leave all the time to get their skates sharpened. I don’t know how many games you guys have been to, is it the first time?” Carlyle said after players met briefly at the Honda Center and dispersed to enjoy a fine spring day.

“He had a bad skate. He went in and got his skate done.”

Ryan, whose spot beside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry was briefly taken by Drew Miller, corroborated the bad-skate story, saying he had to have the blade taken off and a small crack repaired. He said he took advantage of a TV timeout to minimize the amount of time he’d miss and didn’t alert Carlyle to the problem.

“You guys probably noticed I wasn’t on the bench before he did because he’s wrapped up in other things,” Ryan told reporters.

“It was now or never so I just went for it and made sure I got it done right away.”

He returned and rejoined his linemates for two-plus minutes of the final period. “I got to watch the third period in the locker room,” he said. “It’s more nerve-wracking watching than it is sitting on the bench.”

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Speaking of not speaking of injuries...

Carlyle said center Petteri Nokelainen, who had been a healthy scratch in Game 4, was not able to play Saturday. “He developed some form of a problem that we’re trying to get a better evaluation of and see if it settles down and then we’ll make a decision whether he’s available” for today, Carlyle said.

But Nokelainen’s skates are, in fact, sharp. “He’s had the day to get them sharpened,” Carlyle said, nearly cracking a smile.

Carlyle also said he planned to talk to his assistants to assess where the team is and discuss potential lineup changes. He wouldn’t be specific, but he did move Erik Christensen down to the fourth line, with Mike Brown and George Parros, when he put Ryan Carter on the second line with Andrew Ebbett and Teemu Selanne, so Christensen might be scratched in favor of Troy Bodie, one of the youngsters called up from the Ducks’ Iowa farm team.

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Slap shots

Only a few players opted to skate on Sunday. . . . Over their history, the Ducks are 10-4 in series-clinching playoff games. . . . The Sharks have outshot the Ducks in every game and 193-124 for the series.

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helene.elliott@latimes.com