Nov 23, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) and San Jose Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais (5) defend the goal as Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) waits for a pass in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
A three-game tour of California ended on a sour note for the Bruins on Sunday night by way of a 3-1 loss to the Sharks at San Jose's SAP Center.
Morgan Geekie, who has been perhaps the hottest scorer in the NHL for the last calendar year, scored the only Boston goal in the losing effort.
The goal was Geekie's 17th of the season, and fifth on the California trip alone, with Geekie having two-goal outings in both Anaheim and Los Angeles.
But the hole was dug too deep by the time Geekie got the B's on the board, with Geekie's marker coming with 9:58 remaining in the third period and the Bruins down by one even after Geekie's marker.
San Jose got things going on the Bruins' Jeremy Swayman (28 saves in the loss) with a first-period strike courtesy of Shakir Mukhamadullin. The Mukhamadullin goal, which came at the 15:53 mark of the opening frame, appeared to ramp up Mikey Eyssimont's stick and into the net.
In the second period, it was Macklin Celebrini who continued his absurd start to the season with a power-play goal to double the San Jose lead.
It was the lone blemish of the evening for a Boston penalty kill that finished with a 5-for-6 mark on the kill. That included what was a successful kill on what was a 1:50, 5-on-3 opportunity for the Sharks in the second period of play, and with two killers (Jonathan Aspirot and Hampus Lindholm) in the box.
The Bruins did get a boost to their lineup ahead of this one, too, with center Elias Lindholm activated off the injured reserve after missing the last 10 games due to a lower-body injury. Lindholm, who suffered the injury in a collision with the Sabres' Jordan Greenway back on Oct. 30, centered the B's second line with Alex Steeves and Geekie, and finished with one hit, a minus-1 rating, and wins in seven of his 12 faceoffs in 15:41 of time on ice.
The Bruins placed defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is out indefinitely after undergoing facial surgery a few days ago, on the injured reserve in a corresponding move.
The Bruins will fly across the country and conclude their four-game road trip with a Wednesday night showdown against the Islanders. This will be the third and final head-to-head between the sides this season, with Boston having won both of their prior meetings to this point.