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SAN JOSE — The Calgary Flames will be in the line of fire when they face the San Jose Sharks Saturday.
Mainly because they’ll be facing a line on fire.
The NHL has all kinds of scoring stars, such as Alex Ovechkin, Marian Gaborik, Ilya Kovalchuk and Sidney Crosby.
The league boasts all kinds of big-name duos, such as Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in Anaheim, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane or Vancouver’s Sedin twins.
However, no trio can boast the offensive power of San Jose’s unit of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau.
“I’d say it’s gone pretty smooth. Dany and I were playing together all year and Patty came in the last four or five games,” Thornton said. “The chemistry just clicked right away. I think when you play with three good players on a line, you make each other a lot better, and I think that’s the case right now.
“We’re making each other a lot better every night because with the three of us together, we expect big things. It’s been good so far.”
Good would be an under-statement. How about calling them incredible?
Heading into Friday night action, Thornton was atop the NHL scoring race with 40 points. Nicknamed Jumbo, he has incredible passing skills and has played a key role in both Heatley and Marleau having scored 19 goals so far this season — which puts them behind only Gaborik (21) in the chase for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
The Flames have tightened up their defensive game to the point they sit sixth overall in the league, but they’ll be put to the test by the trio that headlines the NHL’s top club in the standings.
Thornton, Marleau and Heatley have been so good together, a case can be made the Canadian Olympic team would be best off to have all three on the squad at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
Lord knows, they’ve already shown they can work together.
“That would be fine with me,” Thornton said. “Who knows, though? We’re just trying to get through today and will try to get through Calgary. It would be nice to play as a line, but who knows if any of us will go or if all of us will go. We’ll have to wait and see.
“But we’re not worrying about that right now.”
The worrying for now is up to the rest of the NHL.