SAN JOSE — The Sharks missed a chance to build more of a cushion in the Pacific Division standings Sunday night before they begin their bye week.
As has been the case four other times this month, the loss came after regulation time.
Brad Marchand scored with 2:24 left in overtime as the Sharks lost, 2-1, to the Boston Bruins on Sunday at SAP Center.
Before Sunday, the Sharks had lost in shootout to the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 4 and in overtime to Buffalo on Feb. 7, Philadelphia on Feb. 11 and most recently, Florida on Feb. 15.
The Sharks will enter their five-day break with a four-point cushion over the second-place Edmonton Oilers.
Patrick Marleau scored the Sharks’ only goal, netting his 21st this season and the 502nd of his NHL career with 2:23 to go in the second period.
On a 4-on-4 situation, a shot from Brent Burns went off the leg of Torey Krug right to Marleau, who had a mostly open net as Tuukka Rask was unable to get over in time.
The Sharks allowed the first goal on home ice for the third consecutive game as Ryan Spooner was left alone right beside Martin Jones.
A shot by Adam McQuaid toward the Sharks’ net was collected by Jimmy Hayes, who spun around and put a shot wide. The puck came off the end boards right to an open Spooner, who tapped it in for his ninth goal of the season at the 11:05 mark of the first period.
Joe Thornton remained on the cusp of perhaps his most historic achievement as he’s still just two assists away from 1,000 for his NHL career.
The Sharks’ next game will be Saturday in Vancouver.
Thornton had 285 assists in seven-plus seasons with the Bruins from 1997-2005.
Since coming to the Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005 in the biggest trade in team history, Thornton has 713 assists, including 34 this season.
Thornton entered Sunday on a five-game point streak. He had assists in four consecutive games and scored Feb. 9 against the Bruins at TD Garden.
When Thornton reaches 1,000 assists, whether it’s Sunday night or sometime after the Sharks’ five-day break that begins Monday, he’ll be just the 13th player in NHL history to achieve the milestone.
Thornton had 285 assists in seven-plus seasons with the Bruins from 1997-2005. Since coming to the Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005 in the biggest trade in team history, Thornton has 713 assists, including 34 this season.
Thornton assisted on Brent Burns’ 27th goal of the season in the third period of Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Coyotes. He won a draw against Arizona’s Josh Jooris that Logan Couture tapped back to Burns, who beat Mike Smith with a wrist shot from 45 feet away.
“He’s a model of consistency,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said Sunday afternoon. “He shows up, prepares himself the same way every day. He’s the first guy on the ice, off the ice, in the gym.
“He’s been rewarded with a great career and great numbers and great milestones that are falling around here weekly.”
The Sharks did not make any changes to their forward group from Saturday’s 4-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes, as Nikolay Goldobin dressed for his second consecutive game. Goldobin played 11:53 against the Coyotes and finished with four shots on goal, but was a spectator in the third period as coach Pete DeBoer shuffled his lines.
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