No one will fault you if you didn’t stay up for Monday night’s game between the Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks. But if you did cash out shortly after the latest episode of “The Bachelor,” you missed one of the best hockey games of the season.
The Bruins held a 3-0 first-period lead at SAP Center, but the Sharks — led by old friend Joe Thornton’s hat trick — battled back to take a 5-4 lead with under two minutes left in the game. That set the stage for two of the most dramatic goals of the Bruins’ season: a controversial goal from Chris Wagner to tie the game, and an overtime game-winner from Charlie McAvoy.
With the victory, the Bruins moved to 35-17-8, good for the fourth-best record in the league. Bruce Cassidy’s club now has won six straight games, including a 3-0 start to its West Coast road trip.
Here’s Wagner’s tally:
And here’s McAvoy’s:
Yes, the Bruins deserve criticism for blowing a 3-0 lead. But hey, these things happen when you play a team as good as the Sharks, who own the third-best record in the NHL.
More importantly, the Bruins finally are getting some much-needed secondary scoring. Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Jake DeBrusk and Karson Kuhlman (first NHL goal) all lit the lamp, along with Wagner and McAvoy. With David Pastrnak sidelined for the foreseeable future with a thumb injury, the Bruins need consistent production from their secondary units.
Boston will visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday before wrapping up its road trip Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.
