Saturday’s contest at the SAP Center saw the Bruins struggle to find their rhythm. They ultimately succumbed to the San Jose Sharks by a score of 3-1, ending their five-game losing streak. The Bruins’ lone goal came from Casey Mittelstadt, a highlight in an otherwise dim offensive performance. Lucas Carlsson scored his first as a Shark, which also was the game-winning goal, and Luca Cagnoni picked up his first NHL point. The Bruins will be taking on the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, and the Sharks host the Toronto Maple Leafs next on Thursday, March 27th.
Boston Bruins Lineup:
Geekie – Zacha – Pastrnak
Khusnutdinov – Lindholm – Lysell
Koepke – Mittelstadt – Lettieri
Lauko – Beecher – Brown
Zadorov – Jokiharju
Lohrei – Peeke
Callahan – Wotherspoon
Korpisalo
Swayman
San Jose Sharks Lineup:
Eklund – Celebrini – Smith
Graf – Wennberg – Toffoli
Kovalenko – Giles – Dellandrea
Grundstrom – Ostapchuk – Goodrow
Ferraro – Mukhamadullin
Cagnoni – Desharnais
Carlsson – Liljegren
Georgiev
Romanov
After a scoreless opening frame, William Eklund put the Sharks ahead 1-0 for his 16th goal of the season early into the second period. He got ahold of the puck along the left boards before passing it across to Macklin Celebrini, who was in the neutral zone. Celebrini skated up into Boston’s zone as Eklund skated in, and Celebrini, from along the right boards, sent it back to Eklund, who beat Joonas Korpisalo five-hole at 17:47. Casey Mittelstadt tied it up 1-1 later on in the second with 3:10 on the clock with his 13th of the season when he was fed in front by Cole Koepke, who took the puck away when Alexandar Georgiev moved the puck to Vincent Desharnais. Mittelstadt found the back of the net before Georgiev could get back to the crease.
Lucas Carlsson scored the go-ahead goal late in the third to break the tie 2-1 for his first goal as a Shark with 3:23 on the clock. After a shot by Will Smith rebounded to the left of the crease when Celebrini sent the puck to him after Korpisalo denied the Sharks, and Carlsson put the puck over Korpisalo’s blocker with a backhand. With just 50 seconds left to play, Barclay Goodrow struck the empty Bruins net for the 3-1 final.
Game Notes:
– Joonas Korpisalo made a total of 18 saves for Boston.
– Alexandar Georgiev made a total of 22 saves for San Jose.
– William Eklund had a two-point night, recording both a goal and an assist. Macklin Celebrini picked up a pair of assists. …Celebrini recorded his sixth multi-assist game, tying Pat Falloon (six in 1991-92) for the most by a Sharks rookie in a single season.
– The Sharks are 2-2-0 in their past four games.
– The Bruins are six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
– The Bruins have lost five straight games (0-4-1).
– Lucas Carlsson played in his first NHL game since November 1st, 2022 when he had been with the Florida Panthers. He had a two-point night, scoring a goal and picking up an assist. …He has played 44 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL with 10 goals and 13 assists after the Sharks signed him to a two-year, two-way contract on the 1st of July, 2024.
– Dating back to the 2016-17 season, the Bruins had won 14 straight games against the Sharks, which had been the longest active winning streak by a team against a single opponent.
– BOS: 30-32-9, SJ: 19-42-9
Season 4. Episode 29. The Offseason Begins. – Bruins Benders Podcast
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