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San Jose Sharks Joe Thornton (19) fights for the puck against Vancouver Canucks Ryan Kesler (17) makes the save in the first period in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday, May 15, 2011. (Josie Lepe/San Jose Mercury News)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Sharks will battle hard in Game 2, no question. In fact, it turns out that their captain nearly came to blows with the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of their series, three days ago.

Happened at the opening faceoff. Joe Thornton waited for the puck to drop against Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks. The two jostled each other's shoulders. Then bumped helmets. Finally, the referee tossed both men from the faceoff circle and demanded replacements.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, Thornton challenged Kesler to fight, without success.

"Yeah," confirmed Thornton on Tuesday with a grin, then explained his logic: "Let's start the series off with a bang. That's about it. "... Why not?"

Why not? Let's see. Thornton is the Sharks' best player. He hasn't fought in two years, according to If he does fight, he could suffer a hand injury and be done for the series. At best, he would go into the penalty box for five minutes, taking the Sharks' primary offensive force off the ice for two or three of his regular shifts.

On the other hand "...

"I thought it was good," said Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic of Thornton's challenge. "It means that Jumbo is into the game."

"Nothing Joe does surprises me," agreed teammate Patrick Marleau. "And there's always a reason for everything Joe does."

In this case, the reason was pretty smart. Granted, it is one of those hockey things that the rest of the sports world (let alone the non-sports world) has a difficult time understanding. But when Thornton tried to prod Kesler into dropping his gloves, Thornton understood exactly what he was doing.

Thornton knew -- as he still knows -- that he will often be matched up in this series against Kesler, who has been Vancouver's leading scorer throughout these playoffs. Kesler is a massive competitor with the stare of a nightclub bouncer. He exudes a force field of serious fury.

However, in the past, Kesler has also been known for a short fuse. He racked up 104 penalty minutes as recently as the 2009-10 season. Thornton said he wasn't surprised that Kesler refused the invitation to fight. Thornton probably expected it wouldn't happen. The real mission was to throw Kesler's focus askew, get him to stop thinking about the puck and start thinking too much about Thornton -- and in the bigger picture, get too amped up to focus on the task at hand.

Did it work? You could make the argument both ways.

"I laughed at him," Kesler said of the fight challenge. "I don't know what he was trying to do there. But I'm not intimidated by him, and I'm not going to be. He's a good player. No one scares me on the ice. He can play me any way he wants to. But I'm going to play the same game on the ice."

Except that in Game 1 against the Sharks, it was not quite the same game for Kesler, not really. During the Canucks' last series against Nashville, he was an overwhelming offensive machine. Vancouver scored 14 goals in that six-game series, and Kesler was involved with 11 of them. The Predators had no forwards who could match Kesler's 6-foot-2, 202 pounds of intensity. Thornton is 6-4 and 230 pounds. Makes a difference.

Against the Sharks in Game 1, Kesler hardly disappeared. But he definitely did not outplay or outwork Thornton, who had a goal and an assist for the Sharks while winning 10 of his 15 faceoffs. Kesler finished with one assist while winning just eight of 19 faceoffs.

Of course, Kesler was on the correct side of the scoreboard in Vancouver's 3-2 victory, which won the ultimate argument for at least one night. But as we move along, it would be best to keep an eye on the Thornton-Kesler situation. If one man begins to consistently control the other, it could swing the series.

To be sure, Thornton and Kesler aren't always on the ice together, depending on how the lines are rolled. Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said he sends Kesler on the ice to control the puck in the offensive zone, not defend anyone in particular. Sharks coach Todd McLellan uses Thornton with a revolving group of wingers.

However, both coaches also say they are comfortable with a Kesler-Thornton matchup and never shy away from creating one. They did in Game 1. So bet on it in Game 2. Which is fine by Thornton.

"It's fun playing against him," Thornton said of Kesler. "It's fun playing against world-class players. It makes you compete harder. He's competitive. I like playing against competitive guys. It makes you elevate your game. You want to win every inch out there."

Kesler has likewise gone to school on his experience against Thornton.

"He's smart," Kesler said. "He uses his size to protect the puck. Once he gets position, you can't move him. It's useless. You have to worry about his stick then and go from there."

But the least likely sight from this point, it says here, will be a fight between the two. The stakes would seem to be too high for a fight now. Thornton hasn't had one since his opening faceoff bout with Ryan Getzlaf in Game 6 of the Sharks-Ducks series two years ago. Kesler hasn't had one since a preseason game last autumn. But that doesn't mean Thornton won't try to keep goading Kesler.

"He can talk all he wants," Kesler said. "I'm not going to let it get to me."

Still you should keep an eye on the next faceoff. This time, though, the Sharks need to win both the battle and the war.

Contact Mark Purdy at or 408-920-5092.