"The passion he has to be at the rink is something you hear about, but until you see it close up it's very unique," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of Thornton, who inked a one-year contract with Florida this past summer. "He's a fun guy to be around. Guys love him."
Lacing up his skates in 1,702 career games - the sixth-most in NHL history - Thornton spent 1,104 of them with the Sharks before joining the Maple Leafs for the 2020-21 campaign. Still hoping to add a Stanley Cup to his resume, the 42-year-old then chose to join the Panthers.
That decision that has certainly paid off so far.
"I love their team," Thornton, who has scored four goals in 22 games this season, said after he signed in August. "I love what they're building, and I'm excited to be a part of it. Everything is ultimately about winning the Stanley Cup, and the Panthers are right there in my opinion."
While there's still lot of hockey left to be played, the Cats have the look of a contender.
Entering tonight's matchup sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 30-9-5, they've won 12 of their last 15 games while outscoring their opponents 74-38 during that span.
Matching the NHL record for most home wins by a team through 25 games, the Panthers improved to 22-3-0 in Sunrise and extended their winning streak on home ice to eight games with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights on Thursday.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first period against Vegas, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov hammered home a one-timer on the penalty kill to make it 1-1. From there, Sam Bennett made it 2-1 before he and Mason Marchment added empty-netters late in regulation to make it 4-1.
On his goal, Barkov recorded the 200th goal and 500th point of his NHL career.
"Those are the milestones you're going to think about at the end of your career," Barkov said. "I'm happy to get it out of the way. Playing on this team with such great players, it's a pleasure."
In net, rookie Spencer Knight made 24 saves to improve to 9-5-2.
"We stayed together and played a really tight game," Barkov said. "We didn't give them much, and when we did give anything Knighter was there. Overall, I think it was a good game by us."
Carrying a hot stick, Bennett leads the Panthers with a career-high 20 goals and has already lit the lamp 11 times since Jan. 1. Heading to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, Jonathan Huberdeau is tied for first in the NHL in scoring with 59 points, including dishing a league-leading 43 assists.
Dangerous even on the penalty kill, Florida leads the NHL with seven shorthanded goals.
"Our offensive guys even kill penalties, so you're extra blessed there," Brunette said. "They make plays. They find the ice and the time and space. We stress defense first, and they've been doing a great job, but when they get opportunities their skill takes over and they make plays."
In addition to Thornton coming into the lineup in place of Frank Vatrano, Brunette said that Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease against San Jose. Owning a 21-4-3 record, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 9-1-1 with a .930 save percentage over his last 11 contests.
Nearly unbeatable in his own barn, Bobrovsky leads the NHL with 15 wins at home.
"They love playing in front of this crowd," Brunette said. "Fans are treated most nights with a really good effort, and we're treated with their loyalty and passion. We hope we keep it going."
Dropping four of their last six games, the Sharks, who sit at 22-19-2, enter tonight's tilt fresh off a 4-1 win at Washington on Wednesday. With Noah Gregor, Nicolas Meloche, Jonathan Dahlen and Andrew Cogliano providing the goals, James Reimer made 32 saves against the Capitals.
Expected to get the nod against the Panthers, Reimer, who played in 123 games over parts of three seasons in Florida from 2016-2019, has gone 13-8-1 with a .916 save percentage this season.
"Any time things don't go your way, you want to come back and play well or do what you can," said Reimer, who'd given up four goals in his previous start, said after picking up the win at Washington. "You never know what's going to happen out there, but you want to try and bring your A-game and let the chips fall where they fall."
An all-star this season and the NHL's reigning "Third Star of the Week," Timo Meier, who set a franchise record with a five-goal game in a 6-2 win over the Kings on Jan. 17, leads the Sharks in points (47) and assists (26), while also sitting tied with Tomas Hertl for the most goals (21).
Since 2014-15, the Panthers have posted an 8-3-1 record against San Jose.
"They're a young, hungry team," Brunette said. "A really good counter-punch team that's good against the rush and on the rush. We have to make sure that we're in a managing-the-puck kind of mode like we have been, having that check-first mentality and then letting our skill take over."
