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SHARKS 5, BRUINS 2 [ Game summary ]
It was a particularly hard-luck result for Andrew Raycroft, Boston's 20-year-old goalie, who made some outstanding stops but was hampered by his team's penalty trouble (nine in all).
The Bruins came out with a great deal more jump than they had a night earlier in being shut out in Los Angeles, 5-0. The Bruins ended their offensive drought just 4:10 into the first period on a spectacular goal by left wing Sergei Samsonov.
Samsonov took a pass from linemate P.J. Axelsson and danced into the right circle. He turned Sharks defenseman Bryan Marchment inside out and upside down before firing a shot on goalie Evgeni Nabokov (21 saves). The young netminder made the stop, but Samsonov pounced on his own rebound and buried a shot from deep in the right circle for a 1-0 lead. It was Samsonov's third goal of the season.
The Bruins came looking for more in the late stages of a power play when Axelsson found center Samme Pahlsson in the right circle. But Nabokov snared the bid with his glove.
At the other end, Raycroft, who got the start in part because goalie Byron Dafoe is sidelined with a problematic left hamstring, was excellent in the first period, turning back eight of the nine shots he faced.
One of the toughest came at 12:20 when right wing Todd Harvey blasted a shot from point-blank range after taking a pass from center Patrick Marleau, taken No. 2 overall in the 1997 draft (one pick behind Bruins center Joe Thornton).
Just 23 seconds later, Harvey was whistled off for interfering with Raycroft. But Boston's ensuing power play didn't get the result it wanted, not by a long shot.
Defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson, in the right corner of his own zone, flipped the puck out for center Marco Sturm, who took off on a shorthanded breakaway.
He skated through the left circle and into the slot, firing a shot on Raycroft (25 saves). The goalie stopped it with his right pad, but the puck, the goalie, and Sturm ended up in the net for a shorthanded goal. The second assist was awarded to veteran center Vincent Damphousse, his 1,000 career point.
In the second, Boston got a scare at 6:21 when defenseman Hal Gill collided hard with San Jose left wing Jeff Friesen. Gill, who appeared to be struck just above his right knee, had a hard time getting up. He returned a few minutes later and blocked a scoring bid by Marleau in front.
Boston regained the lead as a result of the club's second shorthanded goal of the season. Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart had the puck behind his own net with Bruins center Jason Allison chasing him. Allison pursued Stuart into the right circle and stole the puck away. Allison curled around, switched to his forehand in the slot and beat Nabokov over the glove for the 2-1 lead at 13:03.
The advantage didn't last long as center Mike Ricci pulled the Sharks even at 16:31. Sharks center Scott Thornton, cousin of Joe, took a pass from Ricci. His shot missed the net and bounced off the end boards. Ricci, outside the left post, got to the puck and fired it past Raycroft to tie the score at 2.
Early in the third, the Bruins thought they had the lead again at 4:25 when defenseman Kyle McLaren ripped a shot past Nabokov, but it was ruled no goal because Allison made a hand pass, which is allowed only in the defensive zone.
Raycroft came up big during a San Jose power play when defenseman Mike Rathje teed up a slapper from the right point. Marleau tried to tip it past Raycroft. Marleau got his own rebound and tried to beat him again, but Raycroft gloved it.
However, Raycroft could only stem the tide so long. Only a few seconds after that flurry, Rathje again ripped a shot from the point that glanced off Marleau's skate in front and sailed past Raycroft for the 3-2 lead at 9:30.
At 10:31, the Sharks made it a two-goal lead. Ricci fed a pass to right wing Niklas Sundstrom in the left circle. Sundstrom relayed it to Scott Thornton and Raycroft was helpless to stop it.
Sturm finished the scoring with an empty-net shorthanded goal with 1:17 to play.
This story ran on page D04 of the Boston Globe on 10/15/2000.
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AN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Sharks scored a pair of third-period goals 1:01 apart to send the Bruins to a 5-2 loss. It was the Bruins' second loss of the season, as well as their second loss in two nights.