"We're not playing the right way," Blackhawks beat Bruins 6-3 as slump continues
By MATT CARLSON Associated Press
CHICAGO - Taylor Raddysh scored three goals and the Chicago Blackhawks beat Boston 6-3 on Tuesday night, handing the NHL-leading Bruins a second straight regulation loss for the first time this season.
Raddysh's first career hat trick gave him 20 goals for the season and six in his last four games. Chicago ended a three-game slide (0-2-1).
"The puck is just kind of finding its way in," Raddysh said. "I gotta just keep going to the net and get to those areas where the puck is going to be."
Boris Katchouk scored a tiebreaking goal at 6:59 of the third period and added two assists for his first three-point game.
Joey Anderson had a goal and an assist, and MacKenzie Entwistle also scored for Chicago, which entered tied for last place in the Western Conference.
Never mind that Boston came in with a whopping 55 more points than the Blackhawks.
"I don't think it's surprising," Anderson said. "Obviously, they have a great team and we knew we had to play a full 60 minutes tonight and that's exactly what it took."
Hampus Lindholm had a goal and an assist after missing the Bruins' game at Detroit on Sunday with a swollen foot. Trent Frederic and Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston.
Bruins top scorer David Pastrnak missed on a penalty shot with 1:24 left.
The Bruins entered with a league-best 105 points. They became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 50 wins in a season by beating the Red Wings 3-2 in Boston on Saturday. But the Bruins lost 5-3 at Detroit on Sunday and are 1-3-0 in their last four on the heels of a 10-game winning streak that propelled them to a big lead in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron acknowledged his team is sputtering.
"I think right now we're disconnected," Bergeron said. "We're not playing the right way; we're cheating.
"I think this league is going to humble you. I think that's what we're getting right now. It's not good enough."
Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek re-aggravated a groin injury that has bothered him the past two seasons and was replaced by Alex Stalock at 8:48 of the second period.
Mrazek, who stopped all 16 shots he faced, skated to the dressing room abruptly after dropping to the ice to make a couple of close-in saves on Frederic to keep Chicago ahead 1-0. About a minute earlier, Dmitry Orlov's slap shot struck Mrazek in the mask.
Stalock stopped 23 of 26 shots in relief.
Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for Boston.
The Bruins got off to a second straight slow start in this one, the second of a five-game trip.
"I think we've just got to get back to our standards," coach Jim Montgomery said. "And our standards are that we're going to start games well. We might bend at times, but we don't break. And we've been breaking."
Entwistle scored the only goal in the first period at 14:27 when he cut to the net and slid the puck under Ullmark's right pad.
Lindholm tied it with 5:02 left in the second on the third shot Stalock faced, connecting on a screened high drive from inside the blue line.
Anderson put Chicago back in front 1:34 later, popping in a loose puck from the right side of the net.
Frederic tied it at 2 with 11.1 seconds left in the second. Stalock stopped Frederic's point-blank tip attempt, but then accidentally knocked the puck in off his pad.
Zacha was credited with putting Boston ahead at 3:02 of the third when his pass ticked in off the skate of Chicago defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Raddysh tied it 53 seconds later, poking in the puck off a scrum on the doorstep.
Katchouk beat Ullmark on a 25-foot shot off right wing to snap a 3-all deadlock at 6:59. Tyler Bertuzzi's shot with 8:46 left clanked off the crossbar. It was ruled a tying goal on the ice, but overturned by a video review.
Raddysh made it 5-3 with a power-play goal with 3:52 left. He completed his hat trick by firing into an empty net with 45 seconds left.
NOTES:
Boston D Brandon Carlo sat out with upper-body soreness. ... The Blackhawks signed 20-year-old D Wyatt Kaiser to a three-year, entry-level contract. He just finished his third collegiate season with Minnesota-Duluth and is expected to report directly to Chicago. ... Blackhawks LW Mike Hardman and RW Buddy Robinson, recalled from Rockford of the AHL on Monday, both played. ... The Blackhawks have shut down rookie C Cole Guttman (shoulder) for the season. He'll have surgery.
UP NEXT
Bruins: At Winnipeg on Thursday.
Blackhawks: At Nashville on Thursday to start a five-game trip.