The Boston Bruins continued their undefeated start to the season with a 3-1 win over the host San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Brad Marchand, James van Riemsdyk and David Pastrnak each scored a goal as Boston improved to 3-0-0 by winning its first road game.
The Bruins, who had a 36-27 shots advantage, scored two of their goals within a 21-second span late in the first period.
Linus Ullmark (26 saves) earned his second win in as many starts.
Pastrnak has scored in each of his first three games this season, becoming the first Bruin to accomplish the feat since he did so to start the 2016-17 campaign.
Rookie John Beecher was credited with the lone assist on Marchand’s opening goal, the first point of his young NHL career.
Anthony Duclair scored the lone goal and Kaapo Kahkonen made 33 stops for San Jose, which has scored just once in three of its first four games and remains winless at 0-3-1.
At the 18:06 mark of the opening frame, Marchand corralled Beecher’s bank pass off the side boards and ripped a shot into the top right corner from the left circle for his first goal of the season.
Boston doubled its lead thanks to a greasy goal within the same minute. Charlie Coyle centered the puck toward the net front after rushing down the left wing and around the net, setting up Trent Frederic and ultimately van Riemsdyk to jam at a loose puck inside Kahkonen’s crease.
While the hosts pressured more in the second period, Pastrnak added to his Bruins-leading goal total when he rushed down the right side and scored on a puck that deflected off a stick and a skate in the slot at 16:46.
Duclair broke the shutout bid with 8:47 left in regulation, knocking a centering attempt off Boston defender Hampus Lindholm’s skate and past Ullmark.
The Sharks pulled Kahkonen for an extra attacker for nearly the final three minutes and had a six-on-four advantage after a Marchand hooking penalty with 36.4 seconds remaining, but they could not draw any closer.
–Field Level Media
