Joe Thornton is awesome. There I said it and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Jumbo Joe becomes the 33rd player in NHL History to collect 1,300 points in a career.
Thornton earned NHL points 1,299 and 1,300 in the San Jose Sharks lopsided 6-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche at SAP Center on Tuesday night.
Having already assisted on Tomas Hertl's first period marker, Thornton fed Joe Pavelski in front of the Avs net for a slam dunk beauty of a power play goal and the milestone point. Captain Clutch notched his team-leading 25th goal of the season, but Thornton was...er...IS the man of they hour.
The burly veteran now has 367 goals and 933 assists during an impressive 17 year career in the NHL and he's not really showing any signs of slowing down despite what many of you may think.
With two more points in the win over the Avalanche, Thornton has 25 points (5g 20a) in his last 19 games. He also has a season high 10-game point heading into the break.
Congrats Joe, you are in full beast mode right now and it couldn't be happening to a better hockey player right now. Next trick...a Cup to Nor Cal?
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I'm not sure the All-Star Break could have come at a worse time for the San Jose Sharks. I say that because hockey is fun when your winning, or pretty close to it, every single game.
The Sharks have earned at least a point in their last 10 games, going 8-0-2 over that stretch. The streak began with a 7-0 drubbing on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 9 and stayed alive with a convincing 6-1 triumph over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Since the start of this incredible streak, San Jose has earned 18 of a possible 20 points and have pulled to within 7 points of the LA Kings for the Pacific Division lead.
The Kings are still in control of the Pacific but the heat is on. Los Angeles is just 5-4-1 in their last 10 which includes a 2-1 overtime win over the Sharks last Sunday. The division lead doesn't feel quite as secure as it once did with the Sharks nipping at their heels.
What's impressed me most during this run is the Sharks ability to pile up the goals. San Jose is one of the NHL's stronger puck possession team and now they finally have something to show for it. They have nearly doubled the offensive output of their opponents, outscoring them 35-20. Simple math says that's an incredible 3.5 goals scored per game and a paltry 2 goals allowed per game. Not too shabby.
And the NHL's mid-season exhibition is bringing all the fun to a screeching halt.
San Jose is off until Feb. 2 and a team this hot may not be too thrilled about the layoff. Which team will we see when NHL action resumes?
The confident team that is clicking on all cylinders right now? Or the fragile team that couldn't get out of its own way a few weeks ago?
Thanks for reading, Steve