San Jose Sharks face another hurdle with captain, Joe Thornton, on the injured list
San Jose Sharks already has a number of problems hovering around it. It was expected to perform well in the fourth game of the series after they won the third but succumbed to a defeat at the hands of Vancouver Canucks.
A win in Game 4 would have levelled the series and would have been a sign of relief for Sharks. However, Canucks dominated the game to win it by 4-2 and now Sharks trail by 3-1 in the series.
Joe Thornton, Sharks’ skipper, was playing quite well in the game and is undoubtedly one of Sharks’ key members.
Thornton started to show signs of an injury in the final period and with just over 10 minutes left in the game, he was brought out due to a shoulder injury. The player had been playing while tolerating a sharp pain in his shoulder after he got into a shoulder to shoulder collision with Canucks’ forward, Raffi Torres.
He was brought out when he started feeling the heat and it appeared that he was seriously injured.
Sharks’ coach, Todd McLellan, commented on the player’s condition and Game 5, saying, "I can't right now. We'll see once I get an update"
Usually, Thornton is the first player to come out and speak to reporters but at the end of this game, he didn’t come and neither was he found in his locker room.
"I'm not sure what happened to Joe, but he's one of the best players in the world and losing him was tough", Sharks’ rookie, Logan Couture, said. "But knowing Joe, he hates missing games, and he'll play".
Thornton has been in splendid form and if he is out of the fifth game then Sharks is in serious trouble. Thornton is Sharks’ main player, having scored 17 points in the play-offs and is tied for most points with two Tampa Bay Lightning players, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
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