"It's so nice," Thornton, who recorded 1,055 points (251 goals, 804 assists) over 1,104 career games with San Jose, said when asked about his return. "I saw so many of the guys yesterday, the trainers. You play somewhere for 15 years, you become family. It was great to see everyone."
Finding a new home with the Panthers, whose Stanley Cup potential intrigued the 42-year-old veteran, Thornton has registered six points (four goals, two assists) in 24 games this season, with his wealth of experience also serving as a great resource for the team's stars of tomorrow.
"I'm excited for him," interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "It's going to be a special night."
With Thornton returning to the lineup, the Panthers will look get back into the win column after opening up their four-game swing out west with a 3-2 shootout loss at Los Angeles on Sunday.
Leading 2-1 late in the third period after Eetu Luostarinen and Brandon Montour lit the lamp in the middle frame, the Panthers, who found themselves on the wrong end of a 6-on-4 following a few controversial moments, surrendered the game-tying goal to Martin Frk with 32 seconds left.
After a scoreless overtime, Trevor Moore scored for the Kings in the fifth round of the shootout to hand the Panthers their first loss on the road since Feb. 1. Keeping their point streak alive, the Panthers have gone 5-0-1 over their last six games while outscoring the opposition 27-11.
In first place in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers currently sit at 40-13-6.
"Every night in this league is tough, especially on the road," Brunette said when asked about the keys to bouncing back against the Sharks. "[We need to] get the energy up. I thought our energy was a little low last game. I think we can play with a little more energy than we did."
The highest-scoring offense in the NHL with an average of 4.12 goals per game, the Panthers are led up front by Hart Trophy contender Jonathan Huberdeau. In addition to being tied for first in the league in points (83), the all-star winger ranks first in assists with a franchise-record 65.
Also crossing the 50-point plateau on the Panthers, Aleksander Barkov is second in points (60) and first in goals (26), while Sam Reinhart is third in points (57). Generating buzz for the Norris Trophy, Aaron Ekblad ranks fifth among NHL defensemen in points (54) and third in goals (15).
Benefitting from a healthy mixture of experience and youth between their pipes, the Panthers could either go with veteran Sergei Bobrovsky, who is 30-6-3 with a .917 save percentage, or rookie Spencer Knight, who is 10-6-3 with a .905 save percentage, in goal against the Sharks.
"We're just trying to get our game right," Brunette said. "Teams are ready for us."
Sitting just over .500 at 26-25-7, the Sharks have lost 11 of their last 15 games, but enter tonight's matchup feeling pretty good after sweeping a home-and-home series with the Kings.
After winning 4-3 in overtime on Thursday on the road, they won 5-0 at home on Saturday.
Timo Meier leads San Jose in points (57) and is tied with Tomas Hertl for the most goals (25). Chipping in on offense from the blue line, Brent Burns has dished out the most assists (34).
Splitting time in net, James Reimer has gone 15-12-5 with a .916 save percentage, while Adin Hill, who posted a 29-save shutout on Saturday, has gone 10-11-1 with a .906 save percentage.
"It was great," Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said of Hill's performance against the Kings. "The big saves he had to make at the crucial times, he did. I thought he played the puck really well, knocked down a lot of rims, which allowed us to spread out."
With a chance to complete a sweep of their two-game season series, Sam Bennett scored 1:08 into overtime to lift the Panthers to a wild 5-4 win over the Sharks at FLA Live Arena on Jan. 29.
Over their last 12 games on the road, Florida owns a 9-2-1 record.
