The Boston Bruins scored four third-period goals, including three in a row to erase a 3-2 deficit, and edge the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-4 on Saturday night.
David Pastrnak tied former teammate Patrice Bergeron for third on Boston’s all-time goals list (427) to kick off the late-game surge.
Fraser Minten (game-winner), James Hagens and Casey Mittelstadt all had a goal and an assist, while Marat Khusnutdinov and Will Borgen also lit the lamp for the Bruins, who are 7-0-1 in their last eight games.
Boston’s Elias Lindholm and JJ Peterka each dished out two assists, and Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves.
Michael Misa, Kiefer Sherwood, Dmitry Orlov and Will Smith each scored a goal, Jacob Trouba had two assists, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 29 shots for San Jose, which was on a two-game win streak.
Orlov’s one-time blast from the center point off an Ivar Stenberg pass gave San Jose its first lead of the night at 3-2 at 4:03 of the third, but two goals in 40 seconds put the Bruins back in front.
Pastrnak jumped right out of the box from a tripping penalty and tied the game at 8:27, taking JJ Peterka’s feed into the top of the right circle and firing off a wrister past Nedeljkovic’s blocker.
Hagens gave Boston a 4-3 lead when he followed up Lindholm’s chance in front at 9:07. With the Bruins on a four-minute power play, Minten added an insurance marker at 12:00, burying a rebound after Nedeljkovic robbed Peterka.
San Jose would not go quietly. Smith made it a one-goal game again with a 4-on-4 goal with 7:33 left in regulation, slotting home Trouba’s feed to the right circle after Macklin Celebrini circled the zone with the puck.
With 30 seconds to go, Borgen finished into an empty net.
Mittelstadt opened the scoring with his 100th career goal only 3:08 into the opening period, finishing off a relentless shift with Lindholm and Hagens by netting a loose puck from outside the right crease.
San Jose’s power play evened the score at 5:54. Tyler Toffoli’s shot from above the right circle was deflected and found the stick of Misa, who slotted it into a virtually open net from the left side.
Strong net-front play allowed the Bruins to jump back in front at 8:20 of the second. After Minten found Morgan Geekie between the circles, Khusnutdinov slipped in from the left side and buried a backhand high to Nedeljkovic’s glove side.
Swayman denied Sherwood’s partial short-handed breakaway off a turnover earlier in the period, but could not stop a second as the Sharks made it 2-2 at 13:34. Sherwood broke up Lindholm’s pass in the neutral zone and broke in ahead, putting home a top-shelf shot.
–Field Level Media
