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RALEIGH, N.C. — Joe Thornton can still bring the right hand. Just ask Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek.
In Thursday’s game at PNC Arena between the Sharks and Hurriucanes, Mrazek froze the puck at the 12:50 mark of the second period. Feeling Mrazek hadn’t fully covered it, Thornton took a jab at the puck with his stick.
Mzarek didn’t like that, and swung his stick at Thornton before he got up. Thornton responded with a sharp right hand that decked the Hurricanes goalie.
Mrazek, whether he was seriously hurt or not, had to be tended to by a Hurricanes trainer, and remained down as Thornton headed to the penalty box.
After a scrum behind the Carolina net, Thornton and Mrazek were both given slashing penalties and Thornton was given an extra two minutes for roughing. The Sharks killed the penalty.
After his four minutes were up, Thornton was booed by the announced crowd of 14,275 every time he was on the ice.
Carolina was leading 2-1 at the time of the incident on goals by Andrei Svechnikov and Jake Gardiner. Marcus Sorensen scored, off a pretty assist from Thornton, for the Sharks.
Logan Couture scored with 18 seconds left in the second period to tie the game 2-2. With his goal, his ninth of the season, Couture has now scored in every one of the NHL’s 31 arenas.
