Joe Thornton is climbing the ranks.

With a pair of assists in a 3-2 victory Wednesday over the Los Angeles Kings, the lumbering San Jose Sharks center notched the 1,370th point of his historic career.

With the helpers, Thornton surpassed Johnny Bucyk for 24th place among the NHL's all-time scoring leaders.

And Thornton isn't finished just yet.

Thornton, who will surely find a spot in the Hall of Fame once his career reaches its end, already passed three other Hall of Famers earlier this season: Mats Sundin at 1,349 points, Guy Lafleur at 1,353, and Brendan Shanahan a point higher, at 1,354.

Just how high could he climb? At 1,370 career points, the 37-year-old is within striking distance of some of the game's greatest.

With 29 points on the year, Thornton is on pace for 52. In other words, another 23 points, but with a bit of puck luck, the native of St. Thomas, Ontario could leapfrog another four names before April rolls around:

Thornton's game has seen little, if any, slowdown, as he's averaged 74 points over the past three seasons leading up to 2016-17.

The pending unrestricted free agent is believed to be seeking a three-year extension and, should he post similar totals to past years, that would take his career numbers above 1,600 points.

At 1,590 points, Phil Esposito occupies the last spot in the Top 10, but by the time it's all said and done, that slot could be owned by Jumbo Joe.

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Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.

▲ James van Riemsdyk

Save some ink for Van Riemsdyk. While the focus this season in Toronto has been on Auston Matthews and his fellow young stars, a familiar face is now sharing the spotlight.

The Maple Leafs winger has caught fire in recent days, and is currently running an eight-game point streak, a stretch which includes three goals and nine assists. Van Riemsdyk's best performance of the stretch came Jan. 7, collecting three points as he contributed on each of the Maple Leafs' goals against the Montreal Canadiens.

Signed through next season at an affordable $4.25-million salary cap hit, Van Riemsdyk has been a frequent target of trade talk, with speculation that he could be moved if the Maple Leafs desire an upgrade on their blue line. It will be worth following Van Riemsdyk down the stretch as the March 1 trade deadline approaches.

▼ Mike Cammalleri

It's been a rough go in New Jersey for veteran forward Cammalleri. With just 23 points on the year, he's on pace for his worst full-season finish since breaking into the league with the Los Angeles Kings in 2002.

Decline is expected from an aging player, but the 34-year-old winger has hit the skids in recent weeks, with just one point in his last three games and two in his last seven matches. Take that one step further and Cammalleri has just six points in his past 22 performances.

This isn't what the Devils expected from the former triggerman, who, despite being limited to 42 games a year ago, still finished at a near point-per-game pace, as he wrapped the 2015-16 campaign with 38 points. Signed through the next two seasons, the Devils may choose to expose Cammalleri to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.

▲ Ryan Getzlaf

The Anaheim Ducks captain wasted little time in making his way onto the scoresheet after missing a four-game swing with a lower-body concern in early January.

Since returning, Getzlaf has put up four points in as many games. As always, the heavy center has been a key contributor in Orange County, as the Ducks have very quietly gone about their business and now stand first in the Pacific Division with 59 points. Since the calendar turned to 2017, the Ducks have lost just once in 60 minutes, posting a 7-1-1 record, which includes three victories in extra time.

On pace for a 64-point campaign, consistency has been the name of the game for Getzlaf, after he finished the past two seasons with 63 and 70 points, respectively.

▼ Sam Gagner

The early goings of Gagner in Columbus showed signs of career rejuvenation.

The former sixth overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers was nearing NHL extinction after short, failed stints with the Arizona Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers, before landing in Columbus. With the Blue Jackets, Gagner appeared to have found his game, and at a bargain to the team too, as he signed for just $650,000.

Through the first 33 games of the season, Gagner had 28 points, on pace for a career-best 70-point season. But with just one point in his last five outings and only three in his last nine, that number has taken a tumble. Fortunately for Gagner, the Blue Jackets remain the league's best with 64 points, so the opportunity is there for the veteran forward to get his rebound season back on track.

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For many years, the idea of LeBron James putting on the pads, snapping on a chinstrap, and rescuing the Cleveland Browns from their destitution has existed as fantasy for sports fans in Ohio, and around the sports world.

There's been no such speculation, however, about James - in many ways the ultimate athlete - taking his schoolyard talent to the rink and helping another Ohio team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, experience postseason success.

But the topic finally came up Wednesday (because talk radio), and Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella playfully snuffed out the notion that James could make a crossover to the NHL.

"Not a chance," Tortorella told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, according to show producer Keith Britton.

"He can't skate. He's too damn big, he can't skate. And you can tell him I said that, I challenge him. Tell him to get his ass out here and come on the ice with us. I want to see him skate."

Though you can never quite tell with the often-fiery bench boss, who seems to be mellowing with age (and success), Tortorella's comments were made in jest, as Britton reiterated.

That said, we're sure the challenge stands as issued.

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Connor McDavid has a flair for the dramatic.

The Edmonton Oilers star cruised in on a breakway and shoveled in a backhander to defeat the Florida Panthers with about three seconds remaining in overtime Wednesday night.

Panthers goaltender James Reimer caught the puck in his glove, but upon review, the officials upheld the goal call because it clearly crossed the line while in the netminder's trapper.

McDavid earned his 100th career point earlier in the game with an assist, becoming the fourth-fastest active player to hit triple digits.

He leads the NHL in points (51), although he's played eight more games than Sidney Crosby and two more than Evgeni Malkin, each of whom have 50 points so far.

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The Boston Bruins are reeling, and Patrice Bergeron has deemed his team's last two games to be unacceptable.

That would be a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday, followed by a shootout loss in Detroit on Wednesday wherein the Bruins held multiple three-goal leads over the Red Wings.

Here's what Bergeron had to say after the game, per the Bruins:

Honestly, right now it's about making sure we go back (home) and we have to find a way. It's unacceptable what just happened the last two games. I said that after the Islanders game and I thought we would learn from that. You've got to play for 60 minutes and you can't just take the foot off the gas pedal because teams are too good and they're going to make you pay and that's what they just did tonight.

The Bruins did pick up a point and sit second in the Atlantic Division, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Both Ottawa and Toronto are two points back and have six games in hand, while Boston sits 10th in the Eastern Conference when it comes to point percentage.

The Bruins, of course, have missed the playoffs in each of the past two years while upper management continues to believe that's the least of its goals.

Whether it be via trade or a change behind the bench, it's not difficult to envision some sort of change in Boston in the near future. Either way, holding onto a playoff spot is far from a guarantee at this point.

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Carey Price knows there's plenty of time for the Montreal Canadiens to find their groove.

With his team sitting comfortably atop the Atlantic Division - for the time being at least - the franchise goalie acknowledged the need for improvement if it wants to achieve its ultimate goal.

In the loss to Pittsburgh, Price allowed at least four goals for the sixth time in his past nine games, and the 12th time this season. On top of that, his save percentage has been dropping month by month.

Still, Price knows he can't dwell on those uncharacteristically poor performances.

"You can't stop those pucks now so you just got to look forward to the next game," he said.

Recent struggles aside, Price remains the best in the world at his position, and he could very well carry his team to a Stanley Cup should he find his game when it matters most.

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Carey Price knows there's plenty of time for the Montreal Canadiens to find their groove.

With his team sitting comfortably atop the Atlantic Division - for the time being at least - the franchise goalie acknowledged the need for improvement if it wants to achieve its ultimate goal.

In the loss to Pittsburgh, Price allowed at least four goals for the sixth time in his past nine games, and the 12th time this season. On top of that, his save percentage has been dropping month by month.

Still, Price knows he can't dwell on those uncharacteristically poor performances.

"You can't stop those pucks now so you just got to look forward to the next game," he said.

Recent struggles aside, Price remains the best in the world at his position, and he could very well carry his team to a Stanley Cup should he find his game when it matters most.

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Connor McDavid has put himself in fine company.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar recorded the 100th point of his career upon assisting on a Zack Kassian goal against Florida.

Only three active players have reached that mark in fewer career games.

McDavid, of course, is in the thick of the NHL's scoring race, with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hot on his heels.

Crosby, Malkin, and Alex Ovechkin are arguably the three greatest players of the past decade, and can be named among some of the best of all time. If McDavid keeps it up - and there's no reason to believe he won't - he'll be right up there when all is said and done.

McDavid, by the way, added point No. 101 with a second assist later in the first period.

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