BOSTON _ On a night where Joe Thornton reached a historic milestone in his former-barn, a 22-year-old playing in his 12th NHL game got the last laugh by putting together a memorable game of his own.
Danton Heinen gave the Boston Bruins all the offense they needed to beat the Sharks 2-1 at TD Gardens Thursday, spoiling Thornton's bid for payback against the team that traded him 12 years ago.
Thornton cracked the NHL's all-time top-20 scoring list at 10:40 of the second, scoring a power-play goal by pushing the puck over the goal line after a Tim Heed shot trickled into the blue paint. His 1,398th career point tied him with Edmonton Oilers legend Jari Kurri on the NHL's all-time points list.
But Heinen dropped the Sharks below the .500 mark (4-5) by scoring his first and second NHL goals in the contest.
Heinen got the Bruins on the board at 9:41 of the first, scoring a short-handed goal by pouncing on the rebound of a David Backes shot after Kevin Labanc gave him a free pass to the net on a rush play.
He broke a 1-1 tie at 13:27 of the second by firing the rebound of a Brandon Carlo shot off the end boards over goalie Martin Jones' right pad.
Bruins backup goalie Anton Khudobin stifled the Sharks throughout the game, stopping 36 of the 37 shots he faced.
The game wasn't without controversy. Defenseman Zdeno Chara killed a Sharks rally with 1:17 left in regulation, pushing the net off its hinges as Team Teal was bringing pressure in the offensive zone with a power play and an extra attacker on the ice.
The loss dropped the Sharks record on their current five-game road trip to 2-2. The trip concludes with a matinee against the Buffalo Sabres Saturday afternoon.
