Call-up Heinen carries Bruins over Sharks
BOSTON -- Danton Heinen, recalled from the minor leagues earlier in the day, scored his first two NHL goals, and Anton Khudobin stopped 36 shots to lead the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Heinen, who had three assists in three games with the Bruins earlier this month, scored a short-handed goal in the first period and then came through again at even strength to break a 1-1 tie at 13:27 of the second.
Khudobin, playing his third straight game for the injured Tuukka Rask, wasn't under siege but came up with some big saves. He allowed only a power-play goal to former Bruins captain Joe Thornton 10:40 into the second period.
The Sharks had two late power plays, the second coming with 2:32 left, and with goaltender Martin Jones pulled for most of the power play, Khudobin made his best saves of the night in a 15-save third period.
The Bruins, who blew a 4-1 lead and lost in overtime at home to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, improved to 4-3-1, 3-0-1 with Khudobin in goal. The Sharks, who failed to score on a 40-second two-man advantage in the second period, fell to 4-5-0, 2-2-0 on their current five-game northeast road trip.
Jones, who came in 4-0-0 with a 1.26 goals-against average since being pulled from the second game of the season, was sharp in the loss, making 31 saves.
Thornton's goal moved him into a tie with Jari Kurri for 20th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 1,398 points.
NOTES: The Sharks were in Boston since Tuesday, practicing at the Bruins' facility. ... Boston G Tuukka Rask, cleared from NHL concussion protocol, dressed as the backup, missed his third straight game. Bruins C David Krejci (back) missed his second straight. ... San Jose C Joe Thornton, traded away as the Bruins captain in 2005, when asked about Boston, said, "The people here are great sports fans. All that stuff was just media. The people of Boston loved me and I loved them, so that's all I care about. Once you live in this city, it never leaves your heart." ... The Sharks end their five-game road trip at Buffalo on Saturday. The Bruins, likely with Rask in net, end their four-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings the same night.