ST. LOUIS — In many ways, the fun-loving, hard-working personality of the Sharks’ dressing room that has resulted in perennial playoff berths can be traced directly back to the player who has been in that room the longest.



So when Joe Thornton went down Jan. 23 with a significant right knee injury, there was likely as much concern about how his absence would affect the team off the ice as much as on it. A future Hall of Famer, the greatest player in franchise history, as well as the team’s second-leading scorer at the time, Thornton is still as much a part of the Sharks’ emotional fabric as anyone, even at 37.



Joe Pavelski admitted it was a bit strange at first not having Thornton around as much, as Thornton continues to recover from a surgically-repaired MCL.



“Jumbo is such a good presence in this room,” Pavelski said on Monday before the Sharks' shootout victory in Chicago. “It takes maybe a little bit to adjust...