BOSTON — The Chicago Blackhawks are a four-line team that receives scoring from a number of different players throughout the lineup.
The Boston Bruins did a pretty good job shutting down Chicago’s top forwards in Thursday night’s 3-2 loss at TD Garden — Patrick Kane (one goal) and Kris Versteeg (one assist) were the only top-six forwards to tally a point — but the Blackhawks’ depth picked up the slack. Their fourth line combined for one goal and four assists, helping the Central Division leaders win their eight consecutive game and tie the Vancouver Canucks for the most road wins in the NHL with 11.
“It speaks to our depth, I think, and guys stepping up,” Blackhawks forward Ben Smith said. “A lot of guys made big contributions. Marcus Kruger blocked a couple huge shots there at the end. We were battling and finding a way to get the job done. I think thatâs kind of what it speaks to, just finding a way to win and hopefully we can keep that going.”
Here are the “3 Stars” from Bruins-Blackhawks:
No. 3 Star: Marcus Kruger, Center, Blackhawks
Kruger picked up a secondary assist on Klas Dahlbeck and Ben Smith’s first-period goals. The fourth-line center finished with three blocked shots, a plus-1 rating and won 64 percent of his faceoffs in 12:54 of ice time. He also played 1:26 on a Chicago penalty kill that was 2 for 2.
No. 2 Star: Ben Smith, Right Wing, Blackhawks
The former Boston College star tallied two points (one goal, one assist).
Smith earned a primary assist on Dahlbeck’s first career NHL goal in the first period with some quality work behind the net. Smith doubled Chicago’s advantage to 2-0 with a little more than one minute remaining in the opening period by pouncing on a loose puck in front of Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask after a failed clearance attempt by Torey Krug.
Smith also replaced Jonathan Toews at center on Chicago’s top line alongside wingers Marian Hossa and Brandon Saad when the captain left the game in the second period with an upper body injury.
Smith finished with two shots on goal in 13:37 of ice time, including 1:32 on the penalty kill.
No. 1 Star: Scott Darling, Goaltender, Blackhawks
Darling earned his fifth win of the season with 32 saves on 34 shots (30-for-32 at even strength) for a .941 save percentage. He made 23 saves in the first two periods, including 14 in the opening 20 minutes, when the Blackhawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Darling is making a strong case to be the full-time backup when starter Corey Crawford returns from injury. Darling is 5-1-0 with a .939 save percentage and a 1.80 goals against average this season.
“Heâs been excellent,” Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “Tonight, he was excellent. We like him, he looks big in the net, finds pucks, takes up a lot of space. So he certainly helps himself. Every time heâs been in the net, from training camp on, heâs been real consistent and real solid. We like having decisions like this.”
Thumbnail photo via Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports Images
