Dec. 12--The summary
Ben Smith had a goal and an assist while Patrick Kane and Klas Dahlbeck also scored as the Blackhawks topped the Bruins 3-2 on Thursday night at TD Garden. Marcus Kruger added two assists as the Hawks extended their winning streak to eight games, taking 13 of their last 15. Reilly Smith and Torey Krug scored for the Bruins but Hawks rookie goaltender Scott Darling was strong in goal to pick up the victory.
Hawks captain Jonathan Toews left the game in the second period and did not return after being drilled face-first into the boards on a hit by the Bruins' Dennis Seidenberg.
Milestone
Dahlbeck scored his first NHL goal when he took a pass from Smith and fired a one-timer from the left circle that sailed over the left shoulder of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask early in the first period.
Tribune's three stars
1. Smith: Boston College graduate sparked the offense with an assist on Dahlbeck's goal and added his own score.
2. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins: Center had an assist, a team-high five shots and went 22-for-30 in the faceoff circle.
3. Darling: Lemont native made 32 saves to improve to 5-1-0 this season with a .939 save percentage.
Big number
20: The Hawks became the first team in the NHL to reach the 20-win mark this season.
The quote
"It was nice having some friends in the crowd and being close to home. (Wednesday) I went over to B.C. and met with some people and I think it was energizing for me. It's nice to be here and I'm excited for the big win and to keep this thing rolling." -- Smith
Roster report
Scratches for the Hawks were defenseman David Rundblad (healthy) and Corey Crawford (left foot). Sitting for the Bruins were David Krejci (groin), Matt Bartkowski and Joe Morrow. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara returned to the lineup after missing the last 19 games with a knee injury.
Up next
At Islanders, 6 p.m. Saturday.
