Bruins Battle to Wild Victory in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jake DeBrusk had only way to describe what went on at SAP Center on Monday night.
"In my terms, I call that a soup," said DeBrusk.
Translation: there was a little bit of everything all dumped into one wild 64-minute hockey game.
The Bruins jumped out to a three-goal lead, eventually fell behind late in the third, got a tying tally from Chris Wagner with just under two minutes to play, and closed things out on Charlie McAvoy's winner with 1:01 remaining in overtime to secure an incredible 6-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks for their sixth straight win.

"It's just one of those games where it seems like it's back and forth and there's missed calls here and there, different things that kind of go on that affect the game," said DeBrusk, who had three points, including a power-play marker in the second period that extended his goal streak to four games.
"Obviously really big to come out on top of that one. Big goal by Wags late and we had some other guys produce as well. It was nice to be a part of that and keep the winning streak going."
The run was in jeopardy late in the third when former Bruin Joe Thornton finished off a hat trick to give San Jose its first lead of the night, a 5-4 advantage with 6:28 left in regulation. But the Bruins once again got a boost from their relentless fourth line, when Wagner knotted the game, 5-5, on a controversial tally with 1:49 to go.
The play began with Brandon Carlo launching a slapper from the right point that Sharks goalie Martin Jones kicked out into the slot with his right pad. Wagner was there to whack it back towards the goal, but his first attempt popped up into the air, before he swatted it down to the ice and then into the goal. It was ruled a good goal on the ice and could not be reviewed, though the Sharks believed Wagner played the puck with a high stick.
"That was a great shot by [Carlo] off the pad," said Wagner, whose tally was his eighth of the season, giving him a new career high. "I kind of just swiped at it and it bounced up and I think I got it shoulder level. I put it in before so I knew you couldn't challenge it because it was a good goal on the ice and he didn't call high stick right away. They were probably upset about that."

As were the Bruins when what appeared to be a goal by Wagner was wiped off the board in the first period. On replay, the winger's shot looked to have clearly crossed the goal line, but after an official review by the league in Toronto, it was ruled no goal and left the game scoreless early in the opening frame.
"I don't know how the first one didn't count. It was clearly white [in between the puck and the goal line]. I don't know…what goes around comes around I guess," said Wagner.
Wagner's heroics set the tone for McAvoy, who for the second consecutive game secured 2 points for the Bruins. Two nights after potting the winner late in the third against the Kings, the blue liner showed once more that he thrives in the spotlight.
McAvoy started it all in the Bruins end, battling in the corner with Sharks forward Evander Kane, and with some help from David Krejci, freeing the puck to DeBrusk behind the Boston net. DeBrusk then wheeled up the left-wing boards with speed to create a 2-on-1 with Krejci (three assists).
"Started down low," said McAvoy. "JD won his battle on the puck and it's kind of where everything starts in overtime if you're able to beat your guy, start some sort of an odd-man rush. He has such good speed, you had to know he was gonna get up the ice pretty quick."
DeBrusk ultimately fed Krejci with a pass across the tops of the circles in the San Jose end, before Krejci dished back to McAvoy, who was busting down the slot. McAvoy followed up with a blistering one-timer that beat Jones to give the Bruins what is perhaps their signature win of the season.
"I was just kind of trailing it," added McAvoy. "You know when you're out there with him and Krech, they're just two dynamic play makers, they're gonna make plays that not many people can. Had a feeling that Krech saw me there. He made a perfect pass and I was just able to step into it and shoot as hard as I could."

The goal was McAvoy's second consecutive game-winner and the fourth of his young career. He also notched the deciding goal in a shootout in New Jersey early in his rookie season, before grabbing the OT winner against Carolina last February.
"We didn't say die. You get a contribution from Wags off a great shot from Brando. That's absolutely massive, something like that," said McAvoy. "We know those guys are capable of that. No surprise on our part. They make special plays like that too. We needed everyone tonight. There were no passengers."
It was certainly a team effort for the Bruins, which is why coach Bruce Cassidy found it difficult to point out anyone specific when asked postgame who he felt happiest for after a win of that magnitude.
"Just the group. Let's face it, we win as a team and we lose as a team. I thought that was the case tonight. I'm happy for everybody, including myself," Cassidy said with a smile.

Cassidy did, however, point out the performance of Tuukka Rask in overtime, where the netminder made five massive saves and extended his personal points streak to 14 games (12-0-2). The B's bench boss also doled out praise to Karson Kuhlman, who in his second NHL game picked up his first career goal as part of Boston's three-goal first period (Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara also scored with blasts from the point).
"Obviously it was great, something that you dream about as a kid," said Kuhlman, whose goal gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead with 1:36 to play in the first. "But at the same time, I wasn't putting too much pressure…was just focusing on playing my game and obviously JD made a heck of a play on a 2-on-1 and I was able to tap one in."