Thornton talks Hertl injury: 'You know he's going to be out for a little bit'

It is not clear how long the San Jose Sharks will be without Tomas Hertle after the rookie left Thursday's game against the Kings following a knee-on-knee hit from Dustin Brown. Hertl, who is the leading NHL scorer for rookies with 15 goals and 25 points in 35 games limped off the ice and did not return. Sharks center Joe Thornton said he did not see the incident as it happened, but he had an idea of what the 20-year-old is going through.

“It’s tough. I don’t know how long he’s going to go out for, I didn’t see the play, but you know he’s going to be out for a little bit, yeah,” Thornton said, via CSNBayArea. “It’s tough to see Tomas go through that.”

The specifics of his injury are unknown, but judging by the hit, it could be a lower-body problem. Sharks coach Todd McLellan had little to add after the game, saying he did not have much information about the situation.

“I haven’t gone in there to see the trainers or talk to the doctors,” McLellan said, via NHL.com. “Obviously, he didn’t return, and that’s not a good thing. But, other than that, I can’t give you anything more.”

He also said: "Am I concerned? Of course I am. Very concerned."

As for Brown, he was given a game misconduct and a five-minute major for kneeing. Kings coach Brent Sutter did not agree with the call.

“You lose a player for almost the whole game when you’re in this type of schedule – that is not the right call,” Sutter said, according to CSNBayArea. “Clear. No more questions about it. I saw it live and I saw two or three replays. It’s not the right call.”

As for McLellan - he preferred not to weigh in.

“They’re going to deal with it now,” McLellan said. “Let’s leave it there.”