Sharks can't take advantage, lose to Bruins 5-3 (w/video)

BOSTON - Gregory Campbell scored the game winner with less than 10 minutes remaining and the Boston Bruins had to fend off a late four-minute power play to earn a wild 5-3 win over the Sharks on Tuesday night.

Brad Marchand and Torey Krug scored power-play goals, and Seth Griffith netted his first career NHL goal for the Bruins, who have scored at least four goals in each of their last three games after totaling just seven tallies in their first five.

Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for Boston.

After twice squandering one-goal leads and overcoming a late deficit themselves, the Bruins took the lead for good when Campbell tipped a pass from Daniel Paille through the legs of San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi with 9:18 left to play.

Patrice Bergeron drew a double-minor penalty with 4:09 remaining, but the Bruins were able to stave off the Sharks before David Krejci added an empty-netter with 24.5 seconds to go.

Logan Couture had two goals and Joe Thornton scored against his former team as San Jose finished its East Coast road trip at 2-2-1. Patrick Marleau added two assists and Antti Niemi made 28 saves.

Boston capitalized on its first power play at 13:57 of the opening period when Marchand’s wrist shot sailed over Niemi’s glove for his first goal of the season.

With Marchand in the box minutes later for a cross check, the Sharks answered on Couture’s second of the season, a deflection off a wrist shot by Marleau at 16:28.

Boston made it 2-for-2 on power plays 6:54 into the second period when Krug netted his second of the season on a wrist shot only eight seconds into the man advantage.

After Couture tied it off a pass from Marleau with 3:45 left in the second, the Sharks struck again 37 seconds later on Thornton’s second of the season.

Thornton, who played seven full seasons for Boston before being traded to San Jose early in the 2005 season, batted Joe Pavelski’s shot out of midair and past Rask for a 3-2 lead.

Griffith then tied it 4:50 into the third, scooping up a loose puck in front of the net and beating Niemi to his glove side.

NOTES

This marked the 31st meeting between the two teams, with Boston owning a 17-9-5 edge.

Boston D Matt Bartkowski played in place of Kevin Miller, who is sidelined indefinitely after dislocating his right shoulder Saturday during a fight with Buffalo’s Nicolas Deslauriers.

San Jose F James Sheppard (knee) was activated before the game following a rehab assignment for Worcester of the AHL.

San Jose allowed a first-period goal for the first time this season.