Scott Darling, Marian Hossa give Blackhawks win

BOSTON -- The Chicago Blackhawks gave backup goaltender Scott Darling a rare start because they were playing the second game of their father-son trip Friday.
Darling rewarded the Blackhawks and the fathers with 30 saves, and Marian Hossa scored with 1:26 left in the third period for a 1-0 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
The 28-year-old goalie got his second shutout of the season in his first start since Jan. 6. It was Darling's fourth shutout for the Blackhawks (29-14-5), who are 6-2-0 in their past eight games.

WATCH: All Blackhawks vs. Bruins highlights
Darling makes his offseason home in nearby Essex, Massachusetts, making the game more important.
"I have a lot of friends and family that were here tonight," Darling said. "Obviously my dad, all the dads were there, so it was special for me. I'm still excited for every chance I get to play, but it's fun to play against some of these guys."
Hossa hadn't scored in 10 games, seven since returning from a five-game absence because of an upper-body injury. He last scored in a 5-4 win at the New York Islanders on Dec. 15.
"Well it definitely feels great, especially with our dads here," Hossa said. "I had a great time. We obviously came here to play the game and we got four points out of two games, which is beautiful and successful."

Hossa, Vinnie Hinostroza and Tanner Kero combined for eight points (four goals, four assists) in a 6-4 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. The line got the winning goal Friday after a slow start.
"Yeah it wasn't our best start there," Kero said. "I think we got caught in our end a little bit, especially early on. So we just tried to stick with it, not get too frustrated and just kind of chip away."
Tuukka Rask made 21 saves for the Bruins (23-20-6), who are 0-2-1 in their past three and 10-12-0 at home.
The Bruins outshot the Blackhawks 25-14 in the first two periods and 30-22 for the game.
"Well at the end of the night it is another loss and that's the biggest thing," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Did your team play fairly well? I think so. I think we competed hard ... It's unfortunate because that minute and a half that was left in the game kind of tarnished everything we had done for the first whatever, 58 minutes."

Goal of the game

Hinostroza gained the offensive zone and passed to Kero, who sent the puck across the slot and through defenseman Adam McQuaid's legs to Hossa for a one-timer from the left side.
"I tried to go to the net and the puck hit me right on the stick. I tried to shoot it as fast as possible and overall it was a nice goal," Hossa said.

Save of the game

Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane deked his way past Riley Nash out high and then shot from the left dot, but Rask knocked away the puck at 7:31 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Off a center-ice faceoff, Bruins forward David Pastrnak skated around defenseman Duncan Keith and tested Darling from the right dot. The Chicago goaltender stopped Pastrnak's shot and then fell to the ice to deny Tim Schaller on the rebound before the Bruins went on a power play at 4:45 of the second period.

Unsung performance of the game

Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny poke-checked the puck from Bruins forward Frank Vatrano at the Chicago blue line to get possession before Hossa's goal.

They said it

"I don't know if you guys know who my goalie partner is but [Corey Crawford's] one of the best goalies in the world, hands down, no arguments. So I'm just pretty happy to get any games I can." -- Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling on whether he's earning more playing time
"Yeah it was probably fun to watch, but I can't keep saying it enough. You got to get wins here, you got to collect points, and I don't really care if it's fun for the fans or anyone to watch, we have to start winning hockey games." -- Bruins defenseman Torey Krug on the entertainment value of the game

Need to know

Darling is the first Blackhawks goalie to shut out the Bruins in Boston since Tony Esposito on Jan. 17, 1970 (1-0), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Hossa has 17 goals this season, 10 in the third period or overtime. ... Bruins forward Matt Beleskey returned from a 23-game absence because of a knee injury. He had three hits in 11:06 of ice time. ... The Bruins, who lost 4-0 to the Islanders at TD Garden on Monday, were last shut out in consecutive home games Oct. 23 and 30, 2003.

What's next

Blackhawks: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, WGN, NHL.TV)
Bruins: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, ROOT, NESN, NHL.TV)