VANCOUVER, British Colombia _ One of the most challenging three-week stretches in recent Sharks history took another brutal turn as Joe Thornton had to leave Sunday's game with the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena what looked like a left leg injury.
Late in the first period of what became a 3-1 Sharks win over the Canucks, Thornton collided awkwardly with Michael Chaput along the boards inside the Canucks' zone and immediately fell to the ice.
It appeared Thornton's left leg buckled on the collision, and he wasn't able to put much or any weight on his left leg as he made his way to the Sharks' bench. He did not return.
The Sharks didn't score after Thornton's injury, as Tomas Hertl's two first period goals and Martin Jones' 29 saves led the Sharks to just their second win in their last 10 games.
Patrick Marleau scored with 2.6 seconds left on an empty net to seal the win after a handful of scary moments inside the Sharks' zone.
Jones allowed a Sven Baertschi goal with 3:53 left in the third period but was otherwise solid for just his second win in his last seven starts, as the Sharks won their last road game of the season. They improved to 95 points to move, for the time being, two points back of the Anaheim Ducks for second place in the Pacific Division. Anaheim was playing in Calgary late Sunday.
After his injury, Thornton dropped his stick as he got to the Sharks bench, fell for a second when he was on the bench before he went to the dressing room.
The Sharks' game Sunday was their fourth-to-last before the end of the regular season.
The Sharks begin a three-game homestand Tuesday against the Canucks, followed by games against Edmonton on Thursday and Calgary on Saturday. The first day of the NHL playoffs is April 12.
The Sharks are already without Logan Couture, who missed his fourth straight game Sunday after he took a puck to the face in a game against the Nashville Predators on March 25. Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said before Sunday's game that he didn't have an update on Couture on where he stood in his recovery.
Thornton, 37, was playing in his 201st straight game and the 1,446th game of his NHL career. He entered Sunday with 1,391 career points, tied for 22nd all-time with Brett Hull.
At the time of Thornton's injury, the Sharks were leading 2-0 on two goals by Hertl at the 11:00 and 12:51 marks.
Patrick Marleau took Thornton's spot on the Sharks' top line with Joe Pavelski and Melker Karlsson.
Hertl's goal at the 11:00 mark of the first period snapped his 16-game goal drought.
Hertl added another goal at the 12:51 mark, as he collected a loose puck after a shot on goal by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and scored his 10th of the season from a sharp angle with Canucks goalie Ryan Miller unable to get over in time.
