PHILADELPHIA – Even before he scored the overtime goal on Thursday night, giving the Sharks a 1-0 win over the Flyers, there was high praise from the dressing room for forward Melker Karlsson.
After the morning skate at Wells Fargo Center, linemate Joe Thornton compared him to a pretty decent player that he’s gotten accustomed to skating with for the past few seasons.
“He’s so smart, he has good hands, he can finish, gets in on the forecheck. He’s like [Joe Pavelski], he just does a lot of little things right,” Thornton said.
Karlsson wasn’t quite ready to agree with Thornton on the comparison to the Sharks’ captain and leading scorer, but there’s no question that the team has gotten a boost from the 25-year-old forward that missed essentially all of training camp and the first 15 games of the season with a lower body injury.