Bruins Rally with Four Third-Period Goals to Defeat Sharks 6-3

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins staged a dramatic third-period comeback, scoring four unanswered goals to defeat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 at TD Garden on Monday afternoon. Charlie Coyle led the charge with two crucial goals, including the game-winner, as the Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak.

Coyle, who had not scored in his previous 10 games, broke the drought with a tying goal at 8:22 of the third period and followed up with the go-ahead goal at 14:11. His linemates, Brad Marchand and Matt Poitras, played pivotal roles in the rally, with Marchand adding an empty-net goal late in the period. Elias Lindholm sealed the victory with another empty-netter in the final minute.

“To shoot more,” interim head coach Joe Sacco said of his message to Coyle during the forward’s scoring slump. “Charlie has a tendency to overpass at times. We have to remind him to keep putting the pucks toward the net. He has a good shot. He has to utilize it more.”

The Bruins took an early lead in the first period when Vinni Lettieri redirected a shot from Jordan Oesterle past Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov. However, the Sharks responded quickly, with Barclay Goodrow tying the game at 13:16. David Pastrnak restored Boston’s lead with a power-play goal in the second period, but San Jose countered with goals from Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund to take a 3-2 lead into the final frame.

Joonas Korpisalo, making his first start since Jan. 5, stopped 25 shots to earn his eighth win of the season. The Bruins outshot the Sharks 33-28, marking the first time in seven games they held a shot advantage.

With the win, the Bruins improved to 4-17-1 when trailing after two periods and moved ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They will face the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night at Prudential Center.