SAN JOSE Authentic Blake Wheeler Jersey , Calif. (AP) Joe Thornton talked to several teams last summer when he made his first trip to the free-agent market before ultimately deciding to return to San Jose on a one-year deal.This time there was never any doubt.”Obviously there were some teams calling, but I told my agent/brother let’s keep it quiet this year, I want to go back to San Jose,” Thornton said Monday. ”Obviously talking to you guys at the end of the year that’s no secret. I feel this team is just getting better and better. … Our window is always open it seems in San Jose, and it’s a good feeling.”Thornton signed a one-year, $5 million contract on his 39th birthday, taking a $3 million pay cut from the previous year to help make sure the Sharks have the room to add other top players. Thornton had been willing to take even less had John Tavares decided to take San Jose’s offer instead of signing a $77 million, seven-year deal with Toronto on Sunday.But Thornton still believes strongly in the group that general manager Doug Wilson http://www.jetsshoppro.com/authentic-bryan-little-jersey , coach Peter DeBoer and owner Hasso Plattner have put together and feels the pieces are in place for that elusive Stanley Cup run.”It would have been nice to get Johnny, but I think if you look at our team still, Doug and Hasso and Pete, they’ve allowed us to compete every year, and I think there’s no difference again this year,” Thornton said. ”We’re going to compete for a Cup. But yeah, I was going to be flexible and will always try to help out the franchise in that way.”The Sharks also locked up restricted free agent forward Tomas Hertl with a $22.5 million, four-year deal on Monday that buys out the first two years of unrestricted free agency.Hertl took on a bigger role last season after Thornton went down with a season-ending right knee injury Jan. 23. Thornton had torn the ACL and MCL in his left knee the previous season but said he’s ahead of where he was at this point last summer and expects to be 100 percent at the start of training camp.Thornton started slowly last season while recovering from knee surgery but was back near his top form by the end of November. He had 11 goals and 15 assists in his final 28 games before the injury.”I’ve never seen anybody train like this. You look at his birth certificate and it says a number there. But he’s childlike when it comes for his passion and love for the game Womens Connor Hellebuyck Jersey ,” Wilson said. ”He’s had so much time now and was so close to playing that I t6hink he’ll come back way ahead of where he was last year.”Thornton has been the face of the franchise in San Jose since arriving in 2005, helping the team reach three Western Conference finals and one trip the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.He ranks 12th in NHL history with 1,030 assists and is 16th with 1,427 points. With seven more games, Thornton will become the 19th player to reach the 1,500-game mark for a career.The 24-year-old Hertl is just coming into his own after being slowed by knee injuries early in his career. He had a career-high 22 goals to go along with 44 assists this past season and was strong on both ends of the ice.Hertl was even better come playoff time with six goals and three assists in 10 games. He also won 57.7 percent of his faceoffs. The Sharks are counting on more of that kind of play in the future.”I just think his best hockey is ahead of him,” Wilson said. ”He truly wants to be a great player. Watching him in the playoffs this year, I think everybody saw him take that step that not only we expected but he expected of himself.”The Sharks still have one more restricted free agent to sign in forward Chris Tierney.—AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story— OTTAWA Dmitry Kulikov Jersey , Ontario (AP) Mike Hoffman’s 100th career goal was a real gem.Hoffman went end-to-end before slipping a shot past Juuse Saros 3:01 into overtime, lifting the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 victory against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.”It was good to hit a milestone like that and it makes it even more special when it’s an overtime winner,” Hoffman said. ”I guess it couldn’t have happened at a better time.”Chris DiDomenico, Max McCormick and Magnus Paajarvi also scored as Ottawa (19-25-9) won for the fourth time in five games. Craig Anderson made 35 saves for his 15th win of the season.”I think we’ve got guys stepping up,” Anderson said. ”When someone goes down with an injury another guy can fill that role and take advantage of that time. We’ve got guys coming in and competing and we’re playing pretty well as a team right now.”P.K. Subban scored twice for the Predators (32-12-9), and Calle Jarnkrok picked up his 13th goal. Saros stopped 32 shots.Nashville moved into a first-place tie with Winnipeg in the Central Division with 73 points apiece, but the Predators were disappointed to have the extra point slip away.”We want to be the best team in the league and we had an opportunity to possibly do that and we didn’t get it,” said Subban. ”It was a good effort to at least get a point out of it Youth Dustin Byfuglien Jersey , but we have to learn. The last two games we haven’t been able to play a full 60 minutes and we have to learn from that.”Veteran forward Kyle Turris returned to Ottawa for the first time since he was traded to the Predators in November. He received a standing ovation during a video tribute in the first period.”It was really nice of the Sens organization to do,” Turris said. ”The support from the fans, the video they put together that encompasses my six years here, I loved it. It’s a great organization and I was very thankful to be a part of it.”Turris shared a few moments with his former teammates on the ice and admitted it was nice to be able to have some fun with the situation.The Predators tied it at 3 when Subban ripped a shot past Anderson with under five minutes remaining in regulation.The Senators scored two second-period goals to take a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.McCormick, who was recalled from the minors on Tuesday, cut to the net and rang a shot in off the post for his third career goal. Ottawa took the lead on Paajarvi’s first with the Senators on a wraparound midway through the period.”There were so many great story lines in this game from so many players,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. ”You can really call this a solid team win.”Senators captain Erik Karlsson moved into sole possession of third place on the franchise’s points list (492) with an assist on Paajarvi’s goal.Subban opened the scoring 34 seconds into the game when his shot deflected in off Cody Ceci’s skate, but the Senators tied it on DiDomenico’s second in as many games. He took a pass in the slot and beat Saros with a wrist shot.The Predators regained the lead on Jarnkrok’s goal.NOTES: Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau played his 300th career game. … Ottawa F Alex Burrows served his first of a 10-game suspension for kneeing New Jersey’s Taylor Hall on Tuesday night. Burrows decided not to appeal the suspension. … Ottawa was also without Mark Stone (knee) http://www.jetsshoppro.com/authentic-jacob-trouba-jersey , Derick Brassard (mobility), Bobby Ryan (hand), Nate Thompson (lower body) and Gabriel Dumont (lower body). … Nashville’s Filip Forsberg served his third of a three-game suspension for his hit on Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey.UP NEXTPredators: At Montreal on Saturday night.Senators: At Toronto on Saturday night.