Sharks at Bruins
THE STORY: It took a visit from one former teammate snapped the Boston Bruins out of an early-season slump. Perhaps another familiar face in town will have a similar effect. The Bruins will be looking to put back-to-back wins together when they host Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Boston had scored a total of 10 regulation goals in its first six games, including just two on the power play. The Bruins doubled that power-play total on Thursday, blasting Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-2. The Sharks had also had been enduring a bit of a slump offensively until a breakout in their last game. San Jose is one game into a six-game road trip that includes a pair of back-to-backs.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSCA (San Jose), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (2-3-0): Thornton, who was drafted first overall by the Bruins in 1997 and traded to San Jose at the 2006 trade deadline, recorded his first two points with a goal and an assist on Friday. After a 6-3 victory in the opener on Oct. 8, the Sharks managed just five goals in dropping three straight. Thornton’s big night led to a 4-3 shootout victory at New Jersey on Friday.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (3-4-0): Last season a pair of penalty-marred, fight-filled contests sparked Boston down the stretch on their run to the Stanley Cup. That spark may have come a little earlier in 2011-12, as the Bruins endured 72 penalty minutes, including five game misconducts, during a 4-1 loss to Carolina on Tuesday. The offense broke out on Thursday, scoring three times in the first period and three more in the third.
OVERTIME:
1. Thornton played in his 1,000th career game on Friday. He has three points in five career games against the Bruins.
2. Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara each recorded their first goals on Thursday.
3. San Jose took the lone meeting last season, 2-0.
PREDICTION: Boston 4, San Jose 2. The Bruins found a combination that worked last time out and will be dealing with a tired Sharks squad.