Joe Thornton will suit up for HC Davos of the Swiss National League. He played there back in 2004-05 during the previous NHL lockout and heading back was a relatively easy decision. "Yes, just because my wife is from there, she has a home there, we go there five weeks in the summer to see her family and I actually train with Davos when I'm over there," Thornton said. "I know the team real well, and they know me. It's a natural fit for me to go back there and play." New York Rangers forward Rick Nash played there last time around as well and it looks like he will join Thornton again.

Joe Thornton had a rather straightforward explanation for why he thought the San Jose Sharks lost to the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. "They were just a better team. Flat out, they were just a better team than us last year," said Thornton. He wasn't interested in going into more detail as to why the St. Louis Blues were a superior team. However, Thronton did suggest that the team would be more aggressive in 2012-13. The San Jose Sharks have made the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons, but they've developed a reputation for under-performing during the postseason. With Thornton now 33 years old, the Sharks are running out of time to take full advantage of his abilities.

Joe Thornton has denied reports through his agent that he has signed to play with Swiss league team HC Davos. "Hasn't even crossed his mind to play anywhere other than S.J.," Thornton's agent and brother, John Thornton said. His wife is Swiss and they have a house in Switzerland, but nothing has been signed yet. John Thornton told the the San Francisco Chronicle that Joe was in Davos training and skating with HC Davos this past month, but that has been his summer routine since he played for them in the 2004-05 season."

Joe Thornton scored a goal in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. The San Jose Sharks entered the third period of Saturday's hockey game with a one goal lead. In one minute, everything changed. The Blues scored two goals in under one minute to take the lead and the momentum from the Sharks. The Blues never looked back, and Joe Thornton and the Sharks were eliminated.

Joe Thornton had the San Jose Sharks' only goal in their 2-1 loss in Game 4 of their opening-round series against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. While Thornton has three assists in the series, it's his first playoff tally, and it came with 1:07 remaining. The Sharks will need a lot more from their top forwards if they are to overcome the 3-1 series deficit. Players like Joe Pavelski, who had 31 goals in the regular season, and Patrick Marleau, who had 30, each have been held pointless in the series. Logan Couture and Brent Burns had the assists on Thornton's marker.

Joe Thornton will help the team kill penalties in Game 4 on Thursday. Thornton averaged 1:03 minutes of shorthanded ice time per game during the regular season and that's dropped to just 28 seconds per contest in the playoffs. The Sharks tend to use Thornton sparingly in those situations to keep him fresh for 5-on-5 play and power plays, but with the team down 2-1 in their first round series, they decided to make an adjustment.

The Sharks' top line hasn't scored in the opening-round series against the Blues. Thornton had three assists in the Game 3 loss, but none of those helpers came for anyone on the first line. The trio of Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Thornton had eight shots on net (21 for the series), yet hasn't lit the lamp so far. They combined for 79 goals during the regular season. Still, Sharks coach Todd McLellan knows you're not going to have too much success without your top forwards producing and may be forced to switch things up. "When you're down 4-1 (in the game), you're trying different things," McLellan said. "We tried some of our bottom six forwards up there as well. We were just trying to find a spark, and not necessarily just in the offensive zone. We'll see if we shuffle them around and inject some players in. But we've got to find a group that can win."

Joe Thornton assisted on all three San Jose goals in a 4-3 loss to St. Louis in Game 3 of their Western Conference opening-round series. The output represented Thornton's first three points in the series. He was a plus-2, but also took an ill-time roughing penalty. It came at 17:31 of the final period and with the score 4-2. Logan Couture's goal 12 seconds after the captain got out of the box cut the deficit to 4-3.

Joe Thornton fired five shots on goal in a 3-0 loss in Game 2 of the Sharks' first round series against the St. Louis Blues. If you include the regular season, this is the third time that the Sharks have been silenced by the St. Louis Blues in 2011-12. Joe Pavelski spent five minutes in the sin bin for fighting. He also was tied with Patrick Marleau for the team-high in blocked shots with three. Brent Burns led the Sharks with five hits.

Joe Thornton scored the only regulation goal for the San Jose Sharks, who won 2-1 in a shootout over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Thornton's power-play goal was a pivotal one, as it tied the game up 55 seconds into the third period. The center's goal was his 16th of the season, and he now has 67 points on the year. He's recorded eight points over his last five games. Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle had assists on the tally. Ryane Clowe had the only goal int he skills competition.