BOSTON - The San Jose Sharks left New England with a road trip that was good enough, but not quite the kind that lingers for the right reasons.
A third period that got away from them did the damage Saturday night at TD Garden, where the Sharks fell 6-4 to the Boston Bruins in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,850. San Jose had grabbed a one-goal lead on Dmitry Orlov’s power-play goal with 15:57 remaining in regulation, only to watch the game turn fast.
The Bruins answered with three straight goals, and the Sharks never fully recovered.
Dmitry Pastrnak and James Hagens scored 40 seconds apart after San Jose failed to build on its lead, and Fraser Minten added another at 12:00 to put Boston up 5-3. Will Smith got one back 27 seconds later, but the Sharks could not find the equalizer, even with some strong chances late.
The ending fit a pattern that has followed San Jose all season. Through the first 10 games, the Sharks have been outscored 17-10 in the third period, one of the worst marks in the NHL. Four of those losses have come after the team held a lead of at least two goals.
Saturday also closed out a six-game road trip that ended at 3-2-1. San Jose was outscored 4-2 in the third period in the finale.
The Sharks’ offense had flashed at different moments. Michael Misa scored on the power play, and Kiefer Sherwood added a shorthanded goal. Orlov’s late strike gave San Jose a brief edge, but the cushion vanished quickly after Pastrnak took a tripping penalty at the 6:19 mark of the third.
Boston seized control from there.
The Sharks were also forced into extra emotion after Mark Kastelic hit Michael Kesselring from behind into the boards to the right of the San Jose net just over two minutes after Sherwood’s third-period goal at 13:34. Kesselring responded immediately, and the two dropped the gloves with 4:23 left in the second period.
In goal, Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 29 shots. He faced 23 in all over the first two periods, allowing even-strength goals to Casey Mittelstadt and Marat Khusnutdinov while San Jose stayed tied after the opening 20 minutes.
The first period was tight, with Boston holding a 12-11 shot edge and spending a few stretches in the Sharks’ zone. Still, the game was level at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
San Jose’s response to Boston’s early breakthrough came quickly. After Mittelstadt put the Bruins ahead 1-0 at 3:08 of the first, the Sharks needed just 1:16 to answer with a power-play goal. Misa worked the puck back to the point to Jacob Trouba, who moved toward the net, picked up a shot from Tyler Toffoli, and finished for his second goal of the season.
Nedeljkovic made 11 saves in the first period and came into Saturday on a strong run, carrying a 3-0-1 record and a .917 save percentage into his fourth start of the six-game trip.
In Other News...
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Flames Surge Puts Craig Conroys Next Roster Calls Under Pressure
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Around the league, the pressure points are stacking up in different ways. Toronto is boxed in by salary-cap limits that make upgrades or prospect promotions harder to pull off, Nashville is exploring ways to get younger while possibly shifting veteran pieces, and San Jose is watching a defense market that has drawn multiple suitors for Detroits Simon Edvinsson. For the Sharks, the appeal is obvious enough, but the clock is part of the story too, and that only adds another layer to what could become one of the more interesting roster battles as December approaches. [Read more 🡒]