Do not send Joe Thornton to the old

In your typical playoff team, which includes a thirsty veteran looking for his first championship, the old man is little more than a story of well-being, which positively influences the locker room and supports the media. By the time the San Jose Sharks qualified for the Western Conference playoffs, it seemed that 39-year-old Joe Thornton was playing this role. In his previous eight games before the Sharks' game 3 victory over the Blues on Wednesday, Thornton scored just one point – an assist – and in Game 2, he looked slow and lost when Robert Bortuzzo burned him easily for the winner.

But a change of direction from Pete DeBoer, placing Melker Karlsson on the wing with Thornton and Kevin Labanc in place of Marcus Sorensen, brought off a reloaded Jumbo, while Shark, with a gray beard, grabbed the lead. opportunity to score two goals and get help on Logan. The late tailoring of Couture. The attack may have brought Thornton midway through this long-awaited celebration, but by winning the first multi-goal playoff game of his career, he must be relieved to prove that he is not just an assistant coach glorified. ride.

"This guy is one of the greatest players of all time," said DeBoer after the game. "I know he was not happy with his last game, and that's the answer you get from a Hall of Fame player, we would not have a chance to win without him." . "

The pair of grandfather Thornton were each a demonstration of wisdom, not skills. In both goals, he got the puck in Jordan Binnington's lobby and did not hesitate to try his luck. In the first game, he took advantage of a useful rebound against his former executioner, Bortuzzo, and he returned the puck in a gaping goal before Binnington could handle what had happened.

In the second period, he again attacked a Binnington out of position, taking a pass behind the net and highlighting his left foot before slipping it under the goalkeeper of the Blues.

For a Sharks team that is struggling to capitalize on its offensive depth so far in this series, Thornton says that he still has goals to give is huge, and that puts some pressure on their attackers after Timo Meier and Logan Couture. dominated the scoresheets in the first two games. His bad knees sometimes struggling to lead him through this last stage of his career, no one would have blamed Thornton if his contributions diminished as the series went on. But on Wednesday, even though he did not really look like a kid, Thornton still managed to do something new.

"It's been a battle for him in recent years," said Couture. "He has gone through a lot more trouble than many people know. You look at a 39-year-old guy playing as loud as possible every night. You can not blame his efforts and his love for the sport. It's very inspiring.