NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Is This the Year Joe Thornton Carries the Sharks?

Joe Thornton has been in these playoff situations with the San Jose Sharks for years. The only difference is the Sharks are usually at the top of the conference with odds favoring them to win the Stanley Cup.

But the end result has always been the same. The Sharks enter the playoffs and exit the playoffs shortly after in disappointment. It’s come to be the norm of expectations.

Tonight, the seventh-seeded Sharks are set to take on the St. Louis Blues in game one of the quarterfinals, with no talk of  the Cup at all. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Maybe this is what the team needs. Since no one is talking about them, maybe this will be the year they come up from behind to surprise us.

Maybe, but it all boils down to one player who will have to lead the Sharks through the playoffs—something he’s yet to do in his career.

The main reason for disappointment could be pegged on Thornton and his playoff disappearance act. In the regular season, Thornton is always reliable and is known for being one of the best forwards in the league. But in the playoffs, he’s usually nowhere to be found.

The 32-year old veteran doesn’t have much time to prove himself, especially with whatever years he has left in San Jose. There has been chatter about whether or not Thornton’s time in San Jose has reached its expiration.

That makes this postseason arguably the most important of his career.

Thornton’s playoff failures will most likely haunt his career. There will be talk about how great of a player the three-time 100-point superstar was in the regular season, but the blemish is Thornton’s playoff production.

Thornton has been in the playoffs in all six of his years in San Jose. In 74 career playoff-games with the Sharks, Thornton’s only managed to score 12 goals to go along with 64 points. Thornton hasn’t been good enough to get the Sharks over the hump.

With a tough opponent on the horizon, Thornton needs to be his best this postseason, or the Sharks are going to see another fast exit from the playoffs.