Rangers at Sharks
The San Jose Sharks were dealt a brutal blow after learning that 20-year NHL veteran Joe Thornton would be sidelined several weeks with a sprained MCL injury. The Sharks look to regain their composure and enter the All-Star break with some momentum on Thursday when they host the New York Rangers.
"I don't like to guess. I'm an optimist by nature, and so is Jumbo. So, let's see when we get there," San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said of whether surgery is necessary for Thornton, who had been heating up with five goals and four assists in his last seven games. The 38-year-old collided with linemate Mikkel Boedker late in the third period of Tuesday's tilt before the Sharks fell for just the second time in seven games with a 5-4 overtime loss to Winnipeg. New York's Rick Nash, who was a teammate with Thornton on Team Canada at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, has been on quite the roll with three multi-goal performances and a plus-5 rating in his last five contests. The 33-year-old Nash tallied twice on Tuesday, but the Rangers recorded their third straight loss and sixth in eight outings with a 6-3 setback at Anaheim.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, MSG2 (New York), NBCS California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (24-20-5): While New York is sputtering, the line of Nash, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich has been clicking with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in the last five contests. Zibanejad set up a pair of goals versus the Ducks and netted his team's lone goal in New York's 4-1 setback to San Jose at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 23. Henrik Lundqvist was gashed for three goals on seven shots to earn the early exit on Tuesday, and the 2012 Vezina Trophy winner owns just a 4-5-1 career mark versus San Jose after turning aside 20 shots in the first encounter with the Sharks.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (26-14-7): Logan Couture was aware of the severity of Thornton's injury long before the team made an official announcement. "You knew something was wrong when you saw his face on the ice. That guy doesn't leave a hockey game unless something's very hurt," the 28-year-old told the San Jose Mercury News. "You feel for him. He's a guy that loves to play hockey." Couture has scored and set up a goal over his last two games and had that same total in the Sharks' victory over the Rangers in October.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose captain Joe Pavelski scored and set up a goal on Tuesday and has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his last nine games.
2. New York C David Desharnais is expected to play in his 500th NHL contest on Thursday.
3. The Sharks have permitted a power-play goal in three of their last four games overall, but thwarted all six short-handed situations in the first encounter with the Rangers.