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Thornton gets 1,000th assist as Sharks hurt Jets’ playoff chances

If you’re in the mood to troll a San Jose Sharks fan celebrating Joe Thornton’s 1,000th assist and a nice win, note that the team indirectly helped the hated Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings on Monday.

Yes, by beating the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in regulation, they improved the outlook for other West wild card hopefuls, from the Stars and Kings to other teams like the St. Louis Blues.

Of course, the Sharks also fattened their lead in the Pacific to the point that it’s looking like a pretty robust edge, so you probably won’t get much mileage out of trolling. Here’s how the race for the last West spot looks now:

Final wild card spot in West: Blues, 69 points in 64 games

Kings - 68 in 65 GP
Jets - 66 in 67 GP
Stars - 64 in 66 GP (after beating the Capitals)
Canucks - 63 in 65 GP

Nights like these make you wonder if it will ultimately come down to the Kings vs. Blues, especially with the Calgary Flames more interested in seeding in the Pacific than wild card concerns at 76 points. Winnipeg’s chances of making a real push took a blow in this one.

Meanwhile, Thornton became the 13th player to collect at least 1,000 assists. There was some nice symmetry to “Jumbo Joe” doing so in his 900th game as a member of the Sharks (1,432 overall).

It came on an empty-netter scored by ... you probably guessed it, Joe Pavelski: