Joe Thornton notches 1000th assist on an empty netter

Joe Thornton picked up his 1,000th National Hockey League assist on Monday night, helping the Sharks beat the Jets 3-2 by assisting on a Joe Pavelski empty netter. You knew this was coming: Both Jumbo’s 999th and 1000th assists came on empty net goals. This is the most predictable thing in the entire world.

The assist came after the Sharks came agonizingly close to getting the empty netter a minute earlier. It looked like San Jose would have to wait until next game to get Jumbo’s 1,000th point after missing on the first go around, but through a little bit of perseverance and good luck, they pulled through for their former captain.

Thornton has tabulated 715 of his 1,000 career points with the San Jose Sharks. He now has 36 assists this season after tallying 63 last year. He’ll have a chance to get to 1,001 on Thursday against the Washington Capitals.