SAN JOSE — Conventional wisdom suggests that Joe Thornton is running up against the clock in terms of rejoining the Sharks lineup before their final regular season game on April 7.

Thornton has yet to skate since he underwent surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on Jan. 25, suggesting that he’s unlikely to suit up for a game until the last week of the season at the earliest.

With that in mind, the Sharks are approaching the last 14 games on the schedule with the mindset that the 38-year-old forward won’t be returning. If Thornton finds his way into a game this season, it would be a bonus.

“That’s not even on my radar right now,” head coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve got our group and we’re plowing forward. I’m not even thinking about that.”

Get Sharks news in your inbox. Sign up now for the free Sharks Report newsletter.

Before the trade deadline, general manager Doug Wilson said he expects Thornton to return because he defied health norms last year by playing four Stanley Cup playoff games with tears in his left medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament and skating on the first day of training camp less than five months after surgery.

Logan Couture said Thornton’s history of pushing the envelope gives hope to the guys in the dressing room, as well.

“He’s still around every day and you see him working. You just can’t know what the timeframe is with him. He came back so quickly last time,” Couture said. “He still hasn’t skated, obviously. He has to go through a lot of steps, so we need to focus on the group we do have.”

Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, commentary and conversation.

Without Thornton, the group is 10-9-2, ranking 15th in goals (59), sixth in even strength offense (52 goals) and 31st on the power play (14.3 percent). The Sharks are clinging to a one-point lead over the Anaheim Ducks for second place in the Pacific Division and a two-point edge over the Los Angeles Kings, the Western Conference’s ninth place team.

Prior to the deadline, it wasn’t clear whether the Sharks had the pieces they needed to reach the finish line in a playoff spot without Thornton. They finished a four-game road trip through the Central Division on Feb. 25 with a 1-2-1 record, getting outmatched by playoff teams, such as the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild.

But with the addition of Evander Kane, who has recorded five points in five games with the Sharks, DeBoer said the Sharks “for sure” have the personnel to make the playoffs and potentially go on a run regardless of whether Thornton returns.

“I like our group. I don’t think you know until you get in and see. You need a lot of things to go right,” the Sharks coach said. “I’ve been to two finals, and I don’t think either year I could have stood here a month before the end of the season and said, I feel really comfortable that we’re a Stanley Cup finalist.

“But I think we can compete with anybody, and if we get on a roll at the right time, anything can happen.”

Kane also believes that his new team has everything it needs to be competitive down the stretch.

“Jumbo is a huge piece. It’s going to be great to have him back when he does come back,” he said. “My belief in our group to finish off strong here and be able to make a run is very high.”

— Sharks video coach Dan Darrow offered a detailed explanation Sunday on why the Sharks passed on the opportunity to challenge the game-winning goal in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Nicklas Backstrom gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 18:32 of the second shortly after Brett Connolly brought the puck into the Sharks zone with Andre Burakovsky racing back toward the blue line to tag up. The play looked offside to reporters in press box.

As mentioned by @BretHedican, sequence just prior to Caps goal kinda looked offside pic.twitter.com/3mxthlOhnO — Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) March 10, 2018

But according to Darrow, the linesman made the right call because Connolly didn’t touch the puck in the Sharks zone until Burakovsky reached the blue line. Connolly’s skate was also touching the blue line until Burakovsky cleared the zone.

If Connolly had either touched the puck or fully entered the zone before Burakovsky tagged up, the play would have been offside, inspiring Darrow to recommend a challenge to DeBoer. The Minnesota Wild lost a video review on a nearly-identical play in a game against the Colorado Avalanche on March 2.

Related Articles Former Sharks providing full value to Stanley Cup-bound teams

Home sweet home? Giants, visitors at Oracle Park, tie franchise record in win

Sharks will soon make Bob Boughner their full-time coach, per report

Game Changers: Four years after Kaepernick kneeled, a look at Bay Area sports leaders who stood before him

Sharks reach agreement with depth centerman on two-year deal The Sharks video coach said he received about 30 seconds to make the determination Saturday and relay his judgment down to the bench.

“My first year of doing this, I would have thought it was offside just like everybody else,” Darrow said. “But I’ve learned by seeing four or five of these plays reviewed with other teams. It can be very complicated.”

Yes, this is Onside. So, it was a good non-challenge by Deboer, which would have put the Caps on a PP after they had just scored. pic.twitter.com/FFBdn82aJ0 — Bret Hedican (@BretHedican) March 11, 2018

— DeBoer labeled Melker Karlsson as “probable” for the Sharks game against the Detroit Red Wings at SAP Center Monday. Karlsson has missed two games with a lower-body injury.