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San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton will return to action Saturday following the team's bye week in search of two assists to become the 13th player to join the 1,000-assist club, per Hockey-Reference.com.
Thornton went without a point in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, but he racked up four helpers in the four games previous to that. The 37-year-old center has never been a big goal-scorer, but his goal rate has dropped massively this season.
A year after tallying 19 goals, Thornton has lit the lamp just five times through 60 contests in 2016-17.