SAN JOSE (AP) — Joonas Donskoi scored a tiebreaking power-play goal with 13:23 remaining after an offensive zone penalty by Boston’s Jimmy Hayes and the San Jose Sharks beat the Bruins 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Brent Burns helped set up Donskoi’s goal and scored one of his own, tying Sandis Ozolinsh’s franchise records for goals and points in a season by a defensemen.
Melker Karlsson also scored as San Jose won consecutive home games for the first time in two months to move within one point of Anaheim for second place in the Pacific Division.
James Reimer made 21 saves on his 28th birthday for his first home win with San Jose.
David Krejci, Loui Eriksson scored for the Bruins, who had their streak of seven straight games with a point snapped. Boston fell one point behind Florida in the Atlantic Division. Tuukka Rask made 24 saves.
The Sharks went ahead shortly after Hayes was called for an illegal hit to the head of Sharks defenseman Justin Braun while Boston was on the attack. With the second power-play unit on the ice, Burns slid a cross-ice pass to Joel Ward, who stopped it with his skate and fired a shot toward the net that Donskoi deflected in for his 11th goal.
Krejci nearly tied it late in the period shortly after Boston killed a penalty. But Reimer forced him wide on a breakaway and Krejci’s shot hit the post. Reimer then stopped Torey Krug in close in the final seconds to seal it.
After being outscored 20-8 in losing all three home games to the California teams, the Bruins looked to reverse that trend to start a three-game California road swing.
Boston came into the game with the top road winning percentage in the NHL and responded well in the first period after allowing the first goal on a nifty backhand feed from behind the net by Donskoi to Karlsson.
Krejci tied it when he beat Roman Polak to a big rebound Reimer left on David Pastrnak’s shot and the Bruins took the lead late in the period when Krejci sent Eriksson in on a short-handed breakaway after Burns turned it over in the neutral zone. Eriksson beat Reimer for his 27th goal.
But just as he has done so often this season, Burns responded to a blunder with a goal midway through the second with help from a fortunate bounce. With Boston changing lines, Tomas Hertl recovered the puck in the corner and fed Burns, who was alone on the other side of the ice. Burns’ shot hit Ryan Spooner’s stick and trickled into the net for his 26th goal.
NOTES: Ozolinsh set his records with 26 goals and 64 points in 1993-94. ... San Jose had lost seven straight games when allowing a short-handed goal. ... Joe Thornton had one assist and has points in each of San Jose’s past 26 wins. ... Boston F Frank Vatrano, who was called up from the minors after scoring 31 goals in 31 games in the AHL, was scratched.