Thornton wows 'em in San Jose debut
Joe Thornton made a memorable first splash in the Shark Tank.
Thornton assisted on his new team's first goal, then scored later in the opening period last night to lead the San Jose Sharks to their third straight victory in his home debut, 5-3, over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Thornton had a pair of assists in each of his first two games with the Sharks and already has 6 points for rejuvenated San Jose since being acquired last Wednesday from the Bruins.
Thornton passed to Jonathan Cheechoo 2:56 into the game for a power-play goal and Cheechoo's 10th score of the season. Then Scott Thornton -- Joe's cousin -- hit Joe Thornton for a goal with a two-man advantage 6:40 into the first period.
The crowd went wild after Scott Thornton pulled goaltender Michael Garnett to his right side and quickly passed to Joe Thornton, who tapped the puck in from close range.
Joe Thornton received a roaring ovation when the starting lineups were announced -- and made a quick curtain call after being announced as player of the game. The Sharks had lost five straight at home.
Hurricanes 6, Mighty Ducks 2 -- Kevyn Adams scored twice in the first period and added a shorthanded goal on a breakaway for his second career hat trick, leading Carolina at Anaheim, Calif.
The three goals ended an eight-game drought for the Hurricanes center, whose other three goals this season came Nov. 17 in a 5-1 win against the Rangers. He is the first NHL player to score his first six goals of a season on hat tricks since November 2001, when Alexei Kovalev did it with Pittsburgh.
Flyers 1, Flames 0 -- Mike Richards scored the lone goal and goalie Antero Niittymaki was perfect through regulation, overtime, and the shootout at Philadelphia in the NHL's first scoreless game decided by shootout.
Despite the lack of offense, fans buzzed throughout the first shootout staged in Philadelphia. Niittymaki turned aside Kristian Huselius, Jarome Iginla, and former Flyers forward Tony Amonte after making 28 saves through regulation and 5 minutes of overtime.
Red Wings 5, Devils 2 -- Brendan Shanahan had two goals and moved into 15th place on the NHL's career list, leading host Detroit past New Jersey.
Shanahan began the game tied with Mike Bossy among the top goal scorers in league history. He made it 1-1 in the first period, and his 575th goal got the Red Wings even at 2 in the second. Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom and Jason Williams scored late in the second, giving Detroit a two-goal lead.
Islanders 6, Blues 3 -- Mike York scored two goals and added three assists for his second career five-point game, leading New York at St. Louis.
Kings 2, Maple Leafs 1 -- Dustin Brown scored twice and Los Angeles ended a four-game losing streak with the win at Toronto.
