Ryan Kesler fights for control of the puck with Joe Thornton during the first period of Game 1. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward

Joe Thornton: “Let’s start the series off with a bang”

Game two of the Sharks-Canucks series is hours away.  Will it start the same way as game one?  With Joe Thornton challenging Ryan Kesler to fight?

Asked if he was channeling Dave Schultz in the opening faceoff, Thornton replied "no, I'm not that tough", with laughs.

"It's fun playing against him. It's fun playing against world-class players. It makes you compete harder," Thornton said of his matchup against Kesler.

"I assume, Let's fight. Let's start the series off with a bang. That's about it."

When asked if he was surprised that Kesler declined, Thornton simply said, "no."

Thornton's last fight was in a similar situation: April 27, 2009, playoffs, game 6. Just as the puck dropped he fought Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks.

Update 730pm: Kesler publicly responded to the talk about the challenge:

"If (Thornton) wants to fight me, obviously I play him four times a year -- he can fight me next year," Kesler said after the Canucks' optional morning skate at Rogers Arena.

Kesler thinks Thornton was just "trying to be tough." He said he was "surprised he asked me" to fight.