BOSTON -- There were a few key components to the Boston Bruins’ 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night at TD Garden.

Credit can go to Boston’s top-line offensive output, as Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Seth Griffith combined for six points. The Bruins’ fourth line also produced, as Gregory Campbell registered the game-winning goal, which came as a result of a solid forecheck midway through the third period.

Another key was Boston’s power play producing two of the team’s five goals.

But recognition needs to go to the Bruins’ penalty-killing unit for this win over a Western Conference power.

Holding a one-goal lead with 4:09 remaining in regulation, the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron was called for a double-minor, four-minute, high-sticking penalty, and Boston had to kill off the man-advantage with one of its best penalty killers in the box.

San Jose entered the game with the fourth-best power-play unit on the road with a 33.3 percent success rating. In fact, the Sharks scored a power-play goal in the first period Tuesday.

So Boston faced a daunting task, but its PK delivered.

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who finished the game with 31 saves, made five timely saves in the final 4:09.

“It’s a tough bounce there when your best penalty killer goes to the box. Not something you look forward to,” Rask said. “We did a good job on that PK, doing exactly what we wanted to. Everybody is doing their own jobs. I saw the pucks they shot and that’s how you do it.”

Bruins centermen David Krejci and Chris Kelly won several faceoffs, Daniel Paille blocked a couple of shots and Boston’s defensemen won the battles along the boards on that penalty kill.

“In that situation, it’s desperation mode. You’re really doing anything you can,” Campbell said. “They snap it around pretty well and they have a great power play. A couple of good saves by Tuukka, but it’s really just playing within the system that we have, and Bergy kills enough penalties for us, so it was important for us to do that for him.”

The Bruins went 2-for-3 on the PK on Tuesday and have killed off 25 of 32 shorthanded situations this season. But it was the kill in the final four minutes that proved crucial against the Sharks.

“It’s pretty huge from our group, especially when one of your best penalty killers is in the box for the last four minutes,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Our guys did a great job. There was a lot of good stuff from everybody.

“Our guys for the last four minutes did an unbelievable job of battling through,” Julien added. “Our special teams tonight were really good for us and we needed that against that team.”

Boston’s power play was almost as important. That unit went 2-for-3 as Brad Marchand and Torey Krug both registered goals on the PP.

“Power play wins games in hockey today,” Krug said. “You watch it all across the league; a power-play goal will win a team a hockey game. For us, it definitely helped tonight.

“We got those two early ones. But I thought we played a solid hockey game and we were happy with our effort and the way we skated. They’re a fast team, so I thought we skated with them and took it to them. It was good.”