Sharks fall to Rangers 3-2

NEW YORK - If this was one of the last games Joe Thornton will play for the Sharks this season, maybe the price tag for any possible trade needs to be increased.

Regardless, Thornton showed again Saturday night he still has plenty to offer, whether it’s to the Sharks or any other team.

Thornton, 40, scored two goals and goalie Aaron Dell made 30 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers, their penultimate game before Monday’s NHL trade deadline.

Jesper Fast scored the game-winner at the 6:54 mark of the third period, his second goal of the game as the Sharks lost their third straight. The Sharks play the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon.

Thornton’s two goals gave him four for the season as he became just the third player in NHL history in his 40s to score more than once in a game at Madison Square Garden, joining Gordie Howe and Johnny Bucyk.

Thornton’s first goal came at the 17:55 mark of the first period, as he took a drop pass from Timo Meier and slapped a shot past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin to tie the game 1-1.

With the game still tied, Thornton, stationed in front of the Rangers net on a Sharks power play, had a Brent Burns shot go off him and past Shesterkin for a 2-1 lead. It gave Thornton his 44th career multi-goal game and his first since Feb. 18, 2019, when he scored three goals in San Jose against the Boston Bruins.

Before Saturday’s game, Thornton told The Athletic he’s tempted to be moved to a contending team before the Monday’s trade deadline and added he doesn’t feel this will necessarily be his last NHL season.

Thornton, in his 22nd NHL season and his 15th with the Sharks, will need to waive the “no move” clause in his contract for Sharks general manager Doug Wilson to execute a trade before the deadline.

Late Friday, Boston Hockey Now reported that Thornton has a ?five-team shortlist of teams he would be willing to go to: the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Thornton now has 417 goals and 1,505 points for his NHL career. He has 1,051 points with the Sharks, second-most in franchise history behind Patrick Marleau’s 1,102.

The Rangers got goals in the first two periods from Fast and Mika Zibanejad, both after turnovers from Evander Kane inside the Sharks’ zone. Zibanejad scored at the 17:27 mark of the second period after Artemi Panarin knocked the puck away from Kane, who was benched for the rest of the second period and for the whole third period.

Kane, who was playing in his first game since he was suspended for three games by the NHL on Feb. 15, also failed to capitalize on two breakaways. Kane, who leads the Sharks with 21 goals this season, finished with four shots on goal in 12:19 of ice time.