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The Buzzer: Joe Thornton closing in on another milestone

Marcus Sorensen, Joe Thornton

San Jose Sharks left wing Marcus Sorensen, from Sweden, facing, is congratulated by center Joe Thornton (19) after scoring against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

AP

Three Stars

1. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks. The San Jose Sharks desperately need to start stacking some wins together and were able to build off their impressive win over the weekend with a dominant 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. This is the first time they have won consecutive games in nearly a month. Joe Thornton was at the center of it with three assists, giving him 1,038 for his career. He is now just two assists away from trying Marcel Dionne for 10th on the all-time list, and just three away from passing him. Assuming he stays healthy he is almost certain to pass not only Dionne this season, but also Gordie Howe (1,049) for ninth place.

2. Oscar Klefbom, Edmonton Oilers. Klefbom was a machine for the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night, playing more than 30 minutes and scoring the game-tying goal late in the third period to help complete their comeback against the St. Louis Blues. Klefbom had a forgettable 2017-18 season but he never had a chance to really make an impact due to injury. Now that he is healthy he is showing once again that he can be a solid top-pairing defender in the NHL.

3. Daniel Sprong, Anaheim Ducks. It did not take Sprong long to make an impact for his new team, scoring his first goal, on his first shift, on his first shot with the Ducks. Overall it may have been the best game of his career. He logged 14 minutes of ice-time, scored the goal, was a plus-one, and attempted eight shots, with four of them being on goal.

Highlights of the Night

Connor McDavid was very patient when it came to his game-winning shootout goal against the St. Louis Blues. This might be the slowest he has ever skated on a sheet of ice, but it got the job done.

The Ducks scored two goals in 30 seconds on their way to their fifth win in a row.

Factoids

Ken Hitchcock likes coaching against his former teams.

It was also yet another come-from-behind win in the NHL this season.

Scores

Edmonton Oilers 3, St. Louis Blues 2 (SO)

San Jose Sharks 5, Carolina Hurricanes 1

Anaheim Ducks 4, Chicago Blackhawks 2

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.