Victory in Vancouver could have steep price
Thornton injured during collision; exam Monday will tell the tale
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Tomas Hertl knows the Sharks might need him now more than ever.
Hertl scored twice in the first period to snap a 16-game goal drought before fellow center Joe Thornton went down with an injury to his left leg, and the Sharks beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Sunday night.
San Jose, already missing Logan Couture after he took a puck to the face March 25, saw Thornton crumple to the ice with about three minutes left in the first period after he ran into Vancouver forward Michael Chaput.
Thornton got to the bench under his own power, but he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped to the locker room.
“I need to show my best with these guys missing,” said Hertl, who sat out 32 games this season with an injury to his right knee that required surgery.
Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said Thornton will be evaluated Monday.
“You can’t roll over and just quit,” DeBoer said. “It’s a great challenge for us . ... We’re confident as a group. We’re a team that’s a sum of our parts, not about one or two guys.”
Patrick Marleau scored an empty-netter and Martin Jones stopped 29 shots to help the Sharks win their 11th straight regular-season game at Rogers Arena.
San Jose moved two points behind second-place Edmonton and three points ahead of fourth-place Calgary in the Pacific Division.
Hertl opened the scoring nine minutes into the opening period. Vancouver forward Drew Shore was stripped in his zone, with the puck eventually finding its way to Sharks wing Mikkel Boedker. His backhand was stopped by goalie Ryan Miller before Hertl popped home the rebound for his ninth goal.
Hertl then made it 2-0 just less than two minutes later when Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s point shot hit Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler in front and bounced to Hertl, who buried his second goal of the game.
The Canucks pressed late, but Marleau sealed it with his 27th goal with 2.6 seconds left.
“It was a gutsy effort,” DeBoer said. “Couture’s out, (Thornton) only played five minutes . ... The rest of the guys responded and got a much-needed two points for us.”