Sharks Beat Bruins 5-4
BOSTON –- The San Jose Sharks continued their strong road start and sent the Boston Bruins to another home loss on Tuesday night.
The Sharks poured three goals past Tuukka Rask in a 3:25 span of the second period and then held on for a 5-4 victory at the TD Garden.
Center Melker Karlsson, left winger Patrick Marleau and center Joe Thornton scored the goals that gave San Jose a 5-3 lead 9:21 into the second period -- Marleau and Thornton connecting on power play goals 26 seconds apart for the lead.
Center Patrice Bergeron got a power play goal back for the Bruins 6:28 into the third period. The Bruins were pressing for the tying goal when left winger Brad Marchand took a high-sticking penalty with 2:40 remaining. The Bruins killed the penalty and got one good shot at goaltender Martin Jones with Rask pulled in the final minute.
Right winger Joe Pavelski had a goal and two assists, defenseman Brent Burns set up three goals and Thornton, the former Bruins captain traded away 10 years ago, and Karlsson also notched assists.
Right winger Joonas Donskoi also scored for the Sharks.
Right winger Tyler Randall, Marchand and right winger Loui Eriksson also scored for the Bruins, while center David Krejci and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg had two assists apiece in the loss.
It was Pavelski's second three-point game of the season, his first since opening night.
Jones, who was a Bruin for five days over the summer before being traded to San Jose, made 25 saves to improve to 9-5-0.
Rask, who has allowed 32 goals in the seven home losses, made 23 saves in falling to 5-7-1 overall.
It took the Sharks just 42 seconds to take the lead, with defenseman Zdeno Chara coughing the puck up along the boards, leading to a chance in front and Pavelski scoring on the rebound.
The Bruins got that back at 9:20 when Seidenberg flipped the puck from the left point and Randall tipped it home for his first point in his last eight games.
Right winger Joel Ward was off for hooking when Chara's shot from the point was stopped by Jones, who left a rebound that was converted by Marchand at 11:50 -- giving Boston at least one power play goal in nine of the last 10 games. San Jose had been 9 of 9 on the kill over the previous four games.
The Sharks came back to tie with 4:52 left in the period when defenseman Paul Martin's flip from the left point was re-directed by Donskoi for his third goal of the season.
The Bruins needed 1:53 of the second period to re-grab the lead as center David Krejci hit Eriksson for a sharp angle slap that beat Jones, who had allowed three goals in the first two games of the trip combined. But the Sharks answered soon after as Karlsson scored his second goal in four games with the Sharks.
The Sharks had 19 shots in the second period, then struck for two power play goals as the home team took three straight penalties. The Marleau goal, on a rebound, was challenged by the Bruins but was confirmed. Thornton then ripped one from the high slot just 14 seconds into a power play, with San Jose working a nifty passing play to set up the center.
The victory, San Jose's third straight to start a six-game road trip, lifted the Sharks, 3-5-0 at home, to 7-3-0 on the road, Meanwhile, Boston, playing the third game of a five-game homestand, fell to 2-6-1 at home on the season -– compared to 6-2-0 on the road.
NOTES: Bruins D Colin Miller skated in warmups but missed his second straight game with a lower body injury. He was available if needed. ... The Sharks had veteran F Dainius Zubrus at their Monday practice at TD Garden and he will continue to practice with the team on a tryout through the rest of the road trip. The 37-year-old, released by the New Jersey Devils and the St. Louis Blues, hasn't been offered a contract but could be added as depth and play for his former New Jersey coach, Pete DeBoer. "For a big guy and for his age, I think he's in phenomenal shape," DeBoer, who had Zubrus last year, said Monday. ... Bruins Ds Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid played in their 700th and 300th NHL games, respectively. ... San Jose C Joe Thornton, a former Bruins captain, came in with three goals and seven career points in 11 games against Boston.
