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SAN JOSE — Joe Thornton demonstrated again on Tuesday night why he’s been the Sharks’ emotional leader for more than a decade.
So there was palpable concern after the Sharks’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets that Thornton might have suffered another serious injury.
Thornton collided with Sharks forward Mikkel Boedker near center ice with roughly 44 seconds left in the third period and appeared to injure his right knee. Boedker was knocked forward into Thornton by Jets forward Andrew Copp, and Thornton could not put much weight on the leg as he hobbled to the Sharks’ bench and the dressing room.
Closer look at Thornton’s right knee injury. His left was the one repaired after last season. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/S27Fo2quj2
— Brodie Brazil (@BrodieNBCS) January 24, 2018
After the game, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said he did not have an update on Thornton’s condition, saying the team would likely know more Wednesday. Asked, though, what he was thinking when he saw Thornton leave the ice in that state, DeBoer said, “He doesn’t leave unless, you know, we all know him. So, not a good feeling.”
Last April, Thornton needed major surgery on his left knee to repair a torn medial collateral ligament and a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered earlier in the month in a regular season game in Vancouver. Remarkably, Thornton returned to play just two weeks later, suiting up for the Sharks’ final four playoff games in their first round series against the Edmonton Oilers. The Sharks lost in six games.
Thornton is enjoying a comeback season of sorts. After he had just 50 points in 79 games in 2016-17, he’s bounced back to be one of the Sharks’ leading scorers again with 35 points in 46 games coming into Tuesday.
Thornton was playing with an edge for most of Tuesday’s game.
He had words with Jets forward Bryan Little just as the Sharks were starting a power play in the second period. Shortly after, the two came together again during a stoppage in play.
Then Thornton did what he does best — thread the needle with a perfectly placed pass.
Chris Tierney scored his 12th goal of the season, one-timing a pass from Thornton that tied the game 3-3.
“It’s tough,” Tierney said when asked what the feeling was on the bench to see Thornton get injured again. “Obviously, he brings a lot of passion to the team and drives our team. It’s not something you want to see. Just try to stick with it the rest of the game and deal with it after.”
The Sharks needed two comebacks to salvage a point against the Jets. Little scored 18 seconds into overtime to lift the Jets to a win at SAP Center.
The Sharks trailed 4-3 in the third period on a goal by the Jets’ Joel Armia. Less than four minutes later, though, Timo Meier tied the game with 4:40 left in the third, getting just enough on a backshot from the slot to beat Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck for his 11th goal of the season.
The Sharks trailed 3-0 by the 11:56 mark of the first period as the Jets scored on three of their first four shots on San Jose goalie Aaron Dell. Goals by Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture cut the lead to one before Tierney’s one-timer.
The Sharks had to play most of Tuesday’s game without Tomas Hertl, who was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct in the first period for a questionable hit from behind on Jets defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.
Kulikov was going back into his zone to the left of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck to retrieve the puck when Hertl came in and hit Kulikov face-first into the glass. A bloodied Kulikov had to be helped off the ice by a Jets trainer as Hertl and Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba wrestled each other to the ice.
The Sharks trailed the Jets 2-0 at the time of the penalty, 8:13 into the first period. Little scored on the ensuing Winnipeg power play to give the Jets a 3-0 lead.
The Sharks have a 12-2-3 record against Pacific Division opponents, which included a 6-2 win over the Ducks. They haven’t fared as well against Central Division teams, though, losing three straight to fall to 2-3-1 for the season. That includes a 4-1 loss to the Jets in Winnipeg on Jan. 7.
▪ Goalie Martin Jones remained out with a lower body injury. DeBoer said he was hopeful Jones could be available to play Thursday against the New York Rangers, but reiterated that there were “no guarantees.”
▪ Forward Joonas Donskoi missed his second straight game with the flu. Melker Karlsson took Donskoi’s spot on the third line with Chris Tierney and Mikkel Boedker and Jannik Hansen was on the fourth line with Joel Ward and Barclay Goodrow.