Joe Thornton leaves Sharks' game against Canucks with leg injury

San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton left in the first period of Sunday night's game against the Canucks in Vancouver with a left leg injury and did not return.

Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said after the game that Thornton would be evaluated once the team got back home.

"Hopefully (the injury) is short term," said DeBoer. "I think we are confident as a group. We are a team that is the sum of our parts, not just one or two guys. If any team can handle it, we can."

Thornton, 37, crashed into Vancouver's Michael Chaput near the boards and immediately fell to the ice.

He hobbled off the ice, not putting weight on his left leg, and then crawled along the back of the bench to the runway, before being helped back to the locker room.

"He plays through so much, plays so hard, been pretty healthy throughout his career, it's definitely a little different scene," said captain Joe Pavelski of the Thornton injury. "We'll figure it out tomorrow and go from there."

Losing Thornton for any significant amount of time would deal a big blow to the postseason hopes of the Sharks, who are already without Logan Couture.

Couture has missed three games since taking a puck to the face last week against Nashville.

Couture (25 goals, 52 points) and Thornton (7 goals, 50 points) are the Nos. 3 and 4 scorers for the Sharks, who beat the Canucks, 3-1, to keep keep hold of third place in the Pacific Division.

Thornton has 27 goals and 97 assists in 156 career playoff games.