Bruins Fall Prey to Sharks After Being Shut Out at TD Garden

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Feb 5, 2011

Bruins Fall Prey to Sharks After Being Shut Out at TD Garden Final, Sharks 2-0: The Sharks add an empty-netter by Devin Setoguchi with 2.1 seconds left and close out the victory over the Bruins.

The Bruins weren't able to match Thursday's effort, as San Jose played a stifling road game and earned the win. Boston is now 0-3-1 this season against California-based clubs, but fortunately don't have any more matchups with the Sharks, Kings or Ducks.

They do have an important Northeast Division clash on tap next, as they continue their homestand against Montreal on Wednesday.

Third Period, 18:45, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins tried to pull Thomas, but ice the puck, and he has to stay in the net.

Third Period, 16:14, Sharks 1-0: The Sharks nearly double the lead, but Thomas robs Setoguchi at the left post.

Third Period, 15:15, Sharks 1-0: The Sharks are doing a good job bottling up the Bruins in their own zone, as Boston is struggling to get through the neutral zone with any speed.

Third Period, 12:10, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins come up empty again on the power play. Tyler Seguin had his first power-play shift of the day with the second unit, but the Bruins still failed to generate much in the way of chances.

Third Period, 10:10, Sharks 1-0: McQuaid with another nice play as he joins the rush and draws a tripping call on Joe Thornton. Huge power play for the Bruins here as they look to finally get something past Niemi and tie this game up.

Third Period, 7:20, Sharks 1-0: McQuaid with a nice defensive play covering for his partner after a turnover by Ference. McQuaid then challenged Eager for a rematch after taking a hit from him, but Eager declined the invitation.

Third Period, 5:10, Sharks 1-0: Hamill sidesteps a huge hit from Jamal Mayers and it nearly leads to a scoring chance as Wheeler rushes it up ice the other way.

Third Period, 1:28, Sharks 1-0: Strong shift from the Krejci line to get things going in the third, creating several good chances and plenty of pressure in the San Jose end.

Third Period, 0:00, Sharks 1-0: The final frame is under way, with the Bruins needing a third-period rally to pull this one out. They are 5-10-4 when trailing after two, but have outscored opponents 65-34 in the third period this year.

Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins outshot the Sharks again in the second, this time 10-6 for an overall advantage of 18-11, but they have yet to get anything by Antti Niemi.

Special teams have been the difference. The Bruins killed off their last penalty, but the only goal of the game came on the power play, while Boston is 0 for 3 with the man-advantage.

Quiet debut so far for Zach Hamill, who has no shots in 6:26. Logan Couture, the man taken one pick after Hamill in 2007, has the goal for San Jose, his 23rd of the season.

Joe Thornton leads all players with five hits, but has no shots and no points for the Sharks.

End Second Period, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins had a late rush in the closing seconds, but couldn't come up with the tying goal and will head into the third trailing 1-0.

Second Period, 17:05, Sharks 1-0: Big collision in the corner as Doug Murray drives deep into Boston zone and Chara lines him up for a check.

Second Period, 14:53, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins kill that penalty off to remain within a goal late in the second.

Second Period, 12:53, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins will now have to kill off a penalty, and do it without one of their primary penalty killers as Greg Campbell is sent off for tripping.

Second Period, 12:03, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins come up empty on the power play again, and still trail by a goal despite outshooting the Sharks 15-8 so far.

Second Period, 10:03, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins will get their third power play of the day as the Sharks are called for a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Devin Setoguchi is serving the penalty.

Second Period, 7:37, Sharks 1-0: The Sharks almost doubled the lead, but the goal was waved off for incidental contact with the goalie as Ben Eager bumped Thomas in the crease. Unlike Wheeler's play that negated a McQuaid goal on Thursday, there's no penalty on this one, but also no goal.

Second Period, 6:41, Sharks 1-0: Joe Thornton gets taken out along the boards in the Boston end by his own teammate, as Dany Heatley crashes into him.

Second Period, 4:55, Sharks 1-0: Good pressure from the Bruins' revamped energy line, with Thornton and Seguin cycling down low to create some chances.

Second Period, 1:59, Sharks 1-0: Nathan Horton nearly had a chance at an odd-man break as Niclas Wallin flubbed a shot at the point, but Horton was at the end of shift and couldn't take advantage.

Second Period, 0:00, Sharks 1-0: And the middle frame is under way at the Garden, with the Bruins looking for the equalizer.

First Intermission Notes: The Bruins couldn't replicate their start from Thursday, as there were no fights or goals in the opening minute this time.

Boston did play a decent period, but it was San Jose that struck first with a power-play goal from Logan Couture, while the Bruins went 0 for 2 with the man-advantage.

Zach Hamill played just three shifts for 2:49 in the first in his season debut, going 1-1 on faceoffs with no other stats.

Joe Thornton has a pair of hit and has been a surprising physical presence on most of his shifts, playing with some energy and intensity in his latest return to Boston.

End First Period, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins can't convert on their second power play either and go into the break down a goal despite an 8-5 edge in shots.

First Period, 17:53, Sharks 1-0: It took a little longer in this one, but we hve our first fight, with Adam McQuaid going with Ben Eager. 

A running battle in the corner finally escalated to fisticuffs with Eager dropping the gloves first. McQuaid had trouble getting free as a stick was caught between the combatants, and Eager appeared to land a couple short punches in an in-close affair that ended in wrestling.

Eager gets the extra two minutes for roughing, giving Boston another power play.

First Period, 16:00, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins can't convert, though Milan Lucic came close with a chance at the left post.

First Period, 14:00, Sharks 1-0: The Bruins get their first power-play chance as Kent Huskins goes off for delay of game for clearing the puck over the glass.

First Period, 13:19, Sharks 1-0: Horton with another bid from the slot that Niemi turns aside. Horton is skating hard and looks very engaged in this one.

First Period, 12:39, Sharks 1-0: Joe Thornton has been active in this one, skating well and even throwing his body around a bit. Seems to be fired up to be back playing in Boston for just the third time since the trade five years ago.

First Period, 7:22, Sharks 1-0: The Sharks strike first, as Logan Couture flips in a backhander from the right slot for the power-play tally.

That came after Mark Recchi nearly scored a shorthanded goal in front from Beregron earlier in the power play.

First Period, 5:37, 0-0: Shawn Thornton drops the gloves to go with Jamal Mayers, but the refs jump in to prevent it. The Bruins get called for too many men, which will be served by Thornton as San Jose gets the first power play of the day.

First Period, 3:10, 0-0: Shawn Thornton with a chance in front as the puck pops free, but Niemi is able to get there first to tie it up. Thornton bumps the goalie going for the uck, drawing a crowd in the crease but nothing further develops.

First Period, 1:44, 0-0: The Bruins with a chance in front, but Nathan Horton's shot from the slot is blocked without getting through to Niemi.

First Period, 0:00, 0-0: The Bruins will open with Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi up front, Zdeno Chara and Steven Kampfer on defense and Tim Thomas in goal.

San Jose counters with their big line. Joe Thornton, who got a loud round of boos when introduced, opens at center between Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley, with Doug Murray and Dan Boyle on the blue line and Antti Niemi in net.

Probably not going to see any fights off teh draw in this one.

1 p.m.: No surprises with the scratches, with Mark Stuart remaining out along with Marc Savard (concussion) and Daniel Paille (suspension).

San Jose scratches Derek Joslin, John McCarthy and Antero Niittymaki (groin).

12:45 p.m.: Here's how the Bruins' lines looked in warm-ups:

Lucic-Krejci-Horton

Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi

Wheeler-Hamill-Ryder

Thornton-Campbell-Seguin

Defense pairs:

Chara-Kampfer

Seidenberg-Boychuk

Ference-McQuaid

12:30 p.m.: Thomas and Antti Niemi led the teams out for warm-ups. That will be the goaltending matchup as expected.

San Jose doesn't have much choice, as Antero Niittymaki is out with a groin injury and Worcester starter Alex Stalock was hurt last night in AHL action. Worcester backup Carter Hutton is on hand to back up Niemi.

12 p.m.: The Bruins will have Tim Thomas back in goal as they take on teh Sharks, while Mark Stuart remains a healthy scratch.

Claude Julien announced there would be no changes on defense in this one a few minutes ago, but the forward lines have been tweaked with Daniel Paille serving the first game of his suspension.

Call-up Zach Hamill will center Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder, while Tyler Seguin moves down to the fourth line with Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Thornton will move over to the left side, allowing Seguin to stay on the right where he is more comfortable.

8 a.m.: The Bruins opened a crucial four-game homestand with a 6-3 win over Dallas on Thursday in a game that won't soon be forgotten, as the contest featured three fights in the first four seconds and two goals on Boston's first two shots.

Saturday's matinee against San Jose will have a tough time matching up to that one, even with old friend Joe Thornton making just his third return to Boston since being traded to the Sharks more than five years ago.

That storyline will get plenty of attention, but the real key is the two points at stake. Boston will look to further solidify its hold on first place in the Northeast Division, but it won't be easy, as San Jose has been surging of late.

After a six-game losing streak early in January, the Sharks have gone 6-0-1. They're also 7-2-1 in their last 10 road games, moving into second place in the Pacific Division and fifth in the Western Conference.

Thornton leads the team with 46 points, but the Sharks feature a balanced attack with seven players with 33 or more points. That includes talented rookie Logan Couture, who leads the team with 22 goals but has missed the last two games with the flu, and all-star defenseman Dan Boyle, who headlines a deep blue-line corps.

"They're a big, strong team," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Obviously they've been a lot better as of late. They're winning more consistently lately. The back end has a good variety with speed and skill and some good size and toughness.

"It's a lot like Dallas, we've got to make sure we're on top of our game," Julien added. "We're certainly a team that's trying to improve our record against the Western Conference and that started [Thursday] night and hopefully it's going to continue here."

The Bruins are just 3-4-2 against Western Conference teams this year and 2-3-1 against teams from the Pacific Division, but they've also won three in a row and gone 13-4-3 over their last 20 games.

Boston will look to build off Thursday's spirited win, but don't expect another fight-filled affair. The Bruins and Sharks have not had a fight in any of their four meetings since the lockout, with the last battles between the teams coming all the way back on Nov. 6, 2003. How long ago was that? Thornton was still a Bruin, and the combatants were Martin Lapointe taking on Rob Davison and Sandy McCarthy fighting Scott Parker.

The puck drops for this one at 1 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.

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