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The Boston Bruins secured a 6-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, using a explosive third period to pull away from a tie game.
Boston opened the scoring early in the first period, but San Jose kept pace and the teams entered the second intermission deadlocked at 2-2. The Bruins then outscored the Sharks 4-2 in the final frame to seal the win. Five different Bruins recorded multi-point games, and nine players registered at least one point.
Three Stars of the Game
Fraser Minten, Bruins
Minten, 22, contributed a goal and an assist for two points. His assist came on Marat Khusnutdinov's goal at 8:20 of the second period, which gave Boston a 2-1 lead; Morgan Geekie also assisted on the play. Minten then scored on the power play at 12:00 of the third period to extend the Bruins' advantage to 5-3, with JJ Peterka and Casey Mittelstadt picking up assists. Both the goal and assist were Minten's fifth of the season in each category.
Casey Mittelstadt, Bruins
Mittelstadt also posted two points with a goal and an assist. He opened the scoring at 3:08 of the first period, with Elias Lindholm and James Hagens assisting. That goal was the 100th of Mittelstadt's NHL career, a milestone for the 27-year-old. He later assisted on Minten's third-period goal. For the season, Mittelstadt now has four goals and three assists.
Will Smith, Sharks
Smith, a Lexington, Mass., native and former Boston College standout, made an impact in his hometown game by scoring a goal. His tally at 12:27 of the third period brought San Jose within one at 5-4. Smith finished with five shots on goal, including two in the final 5:13 of regulation as the Sharks pressed for an equalizer. The goal was his fourth of the season.
The Bruins' balanced attack and timely scoring in the third period proved decisive, while Smith's effort kept San Jose within striking distance until the final buzzer.