Bruins start fast, hang on late to hand Sharks first loss

BOSTON --The Boston Bruins scored three goals in the first period before holding on late to hand the San Jose Sharks their first loss of the season with a 4-3 win at TD Garden on Sunday.

"I didn't think we looked mentally fresh," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "We've played a lot of hockey. We showed battle, but when you're chasing the game, it's tough to show structure. The Bruins are a heavy team. We got better as the game went on, but we were chasing today."
Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Derek Forbort each had a goal and an assist, and Patrice Bergeron had two assists for the Bruins (3-1-0). Linus Ullmark made 23 saves.
Jasper Weatherby, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier scored for the Sharks (4-1-0). Adin Hill allowed four goals on 14 shots before being replaced in the second period by James Reimer, who made 20 saves.
"It was a tough game, probably the toughest so far this season," Hertl said. "Next time we just have to get on them. We gave up too many freebies. … We can play against anybody if we play the right way."
Marchand scored his fourth goal of the season 28 seconds into the first to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Pastrnak passed behind the net to Bergeron, who found Marchand in the slot for a wrist shot past the glove of Hill.
"I thought our start was excellent," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You always want to get in front at home, especially that way, playing the right way."

Forbort got his first point with Boston on a wrist shot from the left point that made it 2-0 at 3:18.
"As you get going and you become more familiar with your [defense] partner, everything gets easier," Forbort said. "You're thinking less and you can just kind of make plays and roll with it. It just takes time."
Pastrnak extended the lead to 3-0 at 16:12 on the power play. Bergeron's redirection in the slot hit the crossbar, but Mario Ferraro whiffed on a clearing attempt, and Bergeron passed to Pastrnak for a one-timer in the left circle.
Weatherby scored 32 seconds later to make it 3-1, beating Ullmark short side from low in the left face-off circle at 16:44.
Jake DeBrusk made it 4-1 when he scored at 5:41 of the second period. He shot glove side on Hill after he was hit in the pads on a dump-in attempt by Oskar Steen, who got his first NHL point on the play.

Hertl deflected Marc-Edouard Vlasic's shot at 13:19 of the third to make it 4-2, and Meier scored on a deflection of Logan Couture's shot to cut it to 4-3 at 15:08.
"Battling back at the end was important," Boughner said. "I think we just got those goals too late. … You wish you had five more minutes on the clock."
Said Cassidy, "I wouldn't say we unraveled. They had two deflections that happened to find their way in. … Those things happen periodically. There's no way you're losing games like that if that's the best they got in the third period."
NOTES:Steen and forward Jack Studnicka each made his season debut for Boston after being recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Sunday. … Sunday marked the 30th time that Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak each had multiple points in the same game, tying Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the most among current NHL teammates. … Jonah Gadjovich had the primary assist on Weatherby's goal for his first NHL point. He is the fourth Sharks player to record his first point this season, joining Weatherby (Oct. 16), William Eklund (Oct. 16) and Jonathan Dahlen (Oct. 19).