Boston, MA – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane tallied just over two minutes apart in the second period to help the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 lead over the Boston Bruins after 40 minutes of action in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Blackhawks grabbed a 2-1 lead at the 6:33 mark when a right-point shot from Michal Rozsival saw Toews get a stick on it from the right side and the puck slipped under the left pad of Tuukka Rask.
Chicago made it a 3-1 game with 8:41 gone thanks to Kane. Rozsival threw another shot on net from the right wing that was blocked, but the puck came out front and Bryan Bickell threw a backhand on net. Rask couldn't control the rebound and it went to the right side where Kane lifted in a backhander for his seventh of the playoffs.
Boston got one back at 14:43 when Patrick Sharp tried to get the puck out of the zone on a wraparound from the left side while Boston was pressuring. Zdeno Chara, though, picked it off at the left point and sent it back in front, where Milan Lucic got a stick on it then put in his own rebound for his sixth of the postseason.
The visitors answered 49 seconds later. A 2-on-1 rush saw Michael Frolik pass it from the right to the left down low. Marcus Kruger switched to the backhand and got the puck on net, but Rask stretched out the legs and got his left pad on it. However, Kruger stuck with the play and was able to lift his own rebound home from the right post.
Kane was called for hooking with 3:36 left in the middle stanza and Boston took advantage as a Chara shot from the high slot was tipped over the net by Patrice Bergeron. The force of the rebound off the end boards caused the disc to hit the top of the net before dropping in the slot where Patrice Bergeron chipped it in with 2:38 left in the frame.
The Bruins had their chances to tie the game in the final minute of the period, but Chris Kelly missed on a wide open net from in front, and Corey Crawford stopped a Jaromir Jagr shot from the slot in the final seconds.
Boston got the first power play of the game when Johnny Oduya was called for interference 5:18 in, but it was Chicago that took advantage.
Tyler Seguin tried to control the puck at the left point, but had his pocket picked by Brandon Saad and the play went the other way. Saad outskated Chara and was able to send a touch pass over to the left wing where Handzus snapped it in off the left post for a short-handed goal and his third tally of the playoffs at 6:48.
Boston had its first good scoring chance when Daniel Paille and Peverley skated in on a 2-on-1, but was unable to get the shot off. However, Duncan Keith was called for hooking on the play and the Bruins' power play went to work with 7:15 left in the frame.
A right circle faceoff in their own zone was won by Chicago and Niklas Hjalmarsson sent it the other way for Saad, who tried to clear the puck but Andrew Ference kept it in at the left point.
Ference then tried to get the puck down low, but it deflected off a Blackhawks player. Luckily for Boston, though, it went to Peverley and he wristed it home from the top of the right circle for his second of the playoffs to tie the game with 5:17 left in the frame.
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