SAN JOSE — Just a few hours after Joe Thornton underwent surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the Sharks found a way to put five goals on the board without their most offensively-creative player.
But the team’s foundation collapsed in its first game without No. 19 as the squad’s typically-stingy defense coughed up more than five goals for just the third time this season.
Here’s what we learned as the Sharks (26-15-7) dropped a 6-5 decision to the New York Rangers (25-20-5) at SAP Center Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break.