Bruins win in OT, stay undefeated under Bruce Cassidy

SAN JOSE -- Tuukka Rask made 29 saves, and Brad Marchand scored on a breakaway at 2:36 of overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 win against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Sunday.
Patrice Bergeron won a faceoff in Boston's end, and Torey Krug flipped a long lead pass to Marchand, who beat goalie Martin Jones from close range for his 25th goal.
Marchand said the play was set up before the faceoff.
"I just said I was going to go," Marchand said. "I knew if I got open he'd hit me."

Ryan Spooner scored in the first period for the Bruins (30-23-6), who are 4-0-0 under coach Bruce Cassidy and in third place in the Atlantic Division.
WATCH: All Bruins vs. Sharks highlights
It was Boston's first game after a six-day break. NHL teams are a combined 4-12-4 in the first game after a five- or six-day break.
"I thought we started pretty sharp," Rask said. "We definitely had our legs in the first. They got the better of us in the second period maybe, even though we had some looks. Pretty tight game. They're a very good team, and we had to grind it out today. We didn't look sluggish at all."
Patrick Marleau scored in the second period for the Sharks (35-18-7), who played their final game before a five-day break and lead the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks by five points for first in the Pacific Division.

"We're in a good spot right now," said Jones, who made 26 saves. "It's about making sure our game is where it needs to be come playoff time. We can come back with a fresh mindset and with some energy for the stretch drive."
Spooner put the Bruins ahead 1-0 at 11:05 of the first period when he collected a carom off the end boards and tucked the puck inside the right post. Jimmy Hayes had the primary assist for his 100th NHL point.
The Sharks pulled even with 2:23 left in the second when Marleau scored at 4-on-4 after roughing penalties to San Jose's Brenden Dillon and Boston's Riley Nash at 17:05.
Krug blocked Brent Burns' shot from above the right faceoff circle, but the puck deflected to Marleau in the left circle, and he snapped a shot into a wide-open net.
Sharks center Joe Thornton remains two assists shy of 1,000 for his NHL career.

Goal of the game

Jones got caught above the crease when Hayes tracked down a blocked shot in the slot and sent a wrist shot that bounced off the boards to Spooner, who scored from close range before the Sharks could recover.

Save of the game

Boston's David Pastrnak redirected Peter Cehlarik's shot from close range, but Jones made a left-pad save with 9:33 left in the third period to keep it tied 1-1.

Unsung performance of the game

Bergeron was 12-for-24 on faceoffs, but his win against Thornton led to Marchand's overtime goal and gave him the 400th assist of his NHL career.

Highlight of the game

Marchand used his speed to get behind Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Pavelski in overtime, tracked down Krug's pass, and beat Jones on a backhand. "I was going to shoot it early on," Marchand said. "I kind of panicked and went backhand, five-hole, and luckily it went in."

They said it

"Quickly before the draw you talk about little plays, and if we want it, it's a play where sometimes their guys fall asleep, and [Brad Marchand] has full speed. I've been on the other side of that where a guy's lost speed and he's tough to catch. It just all worked out perfectly." -- Defenseman Torey Krug on setting up Marchand's overtime goal with a long pass after Patrice Bergeron's faceoff win
"The guys responded to the change. Everyone has their own reason why. I'm just glad that they have. We recognize if we want to play into late spring we have to win our share our games. We've been able to do that the last four." -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who is 4-0-0 since taking over for Claude Julien on Feb. 7
"We've got to take advantage of it, get our rest here, and come back and get back to work. It's a good time for a break. We're pretty happy with it." -- Sharks forward Patrick Marleau on having off five days

Need to know

Krug played his 300th NHL game. ... Marleau scored his 502nd NHL goal and moved into a tie with Joe Mullen for 43rd on the League's all-time list. ... Sharks forward Joonas Donskoi (upper body) missed his 12th straight game.

What's next

Bruins: At the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; SN, SN1, PRIME, NESN, NHL.TV)
Sharks:At the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, CSN-CA, NHL.TV)