Joe Thornton has high praise for Brent Burns

One note about covering a San Jose Sharks game: It’s anyone's guess what Brent Burns might be wearing post-game.

For instance, he emerged from the locker room following Tuesday’s win over the Boston Bruins dressed  in his St. Patty’s Day finest: a double-breasted Kelly green blazer complete with matching slacks and a coordinating pocket square, a feathered fedora one might find in a resort gift shop, and a navy blue bow tie that barely peaked out from behind his signature Chewbacca-esque beard. When one media member asked if he had gotten any compliments on his threads that night, Burns flashed his toothless grin: “I should, huh?! (Laughs) The boys like to get on me about my outfits.”

The towering defenseman had more than just a snazzy ensemble to grin about on that evening, however. With his second-period goal and assist on the game-winner in Tuesday night’s tilt, Burns tied the franchise record for most goals scored and most points posted by a defenseman in a single season. The goal, his 26th of the season, also adds to his lead for most goals by a D-man across the league, in addition to being second in the league in points behind Ottawa Senators blue liner Erik Karlsson.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s a pretty cool honor,” Burns said of the milestone markers.

To say the All-Star’s 2015-16 campaign is on an upswing is a bit of an understatement. While Burns made waves a couple seasons ago when former Sharks coach Todd McLellan moved him up to offense, his move back to the blue line was less than smooth. Since finding an anchor this season with blue line partner Paul Martin, the guy fans adoringly refer to as “The Wookie” has a stronger defensive game to go with his offensive prowess.

“He has to be up for the Norris (Trophy), the guy is unbelievable,” teammate Joe Thornton gushed. “When he’s out there, you feel like something can happen, every shift.”

The improved play has meant something good happening on most shifts, along with fewer hiccups. Per Kevin Kurz of Comcast SportsNet California, Burns possessed a minus-15 rating in January, signaling the 15 more goals the Sharks had surrendered with him on the ice. He has since broken neutral and currently sits at  minus -3. That’s quite the improvement for a player continuing to generate offense for a team in the race to secure a playoff spot.

Of course, Burns isn’t going to take all the credit for his accomplishments this season.

“I just think it means you’re playing with a lot of great players,” he said. “This year, it’s been a great atmosphere. I’ve said that a lot. The energy here, the atmosphere that we’ve had at the rink with the coaches — it’s been awesome. It’s just been a fun group to come to the rink and work. There’s a lot of things that go into that.”

No doubt a flashy outfit or two can add to that fun.