By Ivan Makarov

SAN JOSE, CA — On some nights in the NHL, the teams play a tight checking game and excel on defense, producing only a few goals. Such was the case on Tuesday when Sharks beat the Flyers in the close contest and this is what they expected to be the case on Thursday against the Bruins, given the recent offensive struggles for both teams.

On Thursday, this was a complete opposite, with both clubs playing open hockey, and producing 11 goals. Sharks were on the winning side of it all, scoring season-high 7 goals and winning 7-4 after trailing multiple times in the game.

“I hoped we wouldn’t give up four, but I wasn’t hoping we would score seven,” said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. “At least we came out on the positive side of it all.”

Tyler Kennedy, Tommy Wingels and Joe Pavelski scored two goals each for the Sharks, with Tomas Hertl contributing another one, while Antti Niemi made 20 saves in the net.

The game did not get off to a good start for the Sharks, with Bruins scoring twice early and holding that lead in all of the first period.

Sharks struggled to establish their game in the first 20 minutes, and it wasn’t until the second period when things started to click. Tommy Wingels scored 27 seconds into the second period when he redirected a puck from Vlasic who was shooting all the way from the blue line.

Sharks went on another power play just seconds later, didn’t score but carried the momentum into the shift right after their player advantage expired. Tyler Kennedy tied the game on a fluke of a goal when his backhand pass towards the net changed direction and bounced inside.

“It took us a little bit to get going,” said Sharks forward Joe Pavelski about that stretch in the game. “But once we got going, it was hard to stop us.”

Another penalty by the Bruins was followed by another goal by the Sharks – this time by Tommy Wingels again who was in front of the net and redirected a long range shot by Matt Irwin. The goal gave Sharks 3-2 lead in the game.

The lead was short lived, however, as Bruins came right back, with Reilly Smith scoring his second goal in the game right in front of Antti Niemi after a counter attack.

Bruins went on to take 4-3 lead after Torey Krug scored from above the face-off circle with four players crowding Niemi’s vision of the puck, but Sharks tied the game on their own power play few minutes later, with Joe Pavelski getting on the board as he pushed the puck in from inside the crease when Patrick Marleau got him a puck, making it 4-4 at 14:31 mark in the second period.

Tyler Kennedy gave the Sharks 5-4 lead at the start of the third period when he scored on a puck redirect on a shot from Matt Irwin.

Joe Pavelski doubled the lead for the Sharks half way through the third when teams were playing 4-on-4 and there was more ice to skate on. Pavelski took full advantage of that, picking up speed, flying right past Dougie Hamilton and squeezing the puck between Tuuka Rask pads, making the score 6-4.

With the way game went thus far, two goal lead didn’t seem to be safe until Tomas Hertl made it a three goal lead with 4:16 left to go in the game when he picked up a rebound behind the net, skated towards the crease and put it top shelf above Tuuka Rask with his backhand. With all the goals, this was no doubt the prettiest one.

Sharks finished their home stands with three wins in a row, and are going back on the road as they travel to Alberta to play the Flames and the Oilers before returning to face five game home stand.