Bruins, Blackhawks Tied At 3

The Chicago Blackhawks only needed three power-play chances to make good against the NHL's best penalty killing team.

Scoring on one of them, the Blackhawks tied the Boston Bruins 3-3 on Thursday night.

"They didn't play like a team fighting for their jobs," said Bruins captain Ray Bourque. "They made it tough on us all night."

Newly acquired defenseman Boris Mironov scored his first goal with Chicago with 1:24 left in regulation to give the Blackhawks the tie.

Mironov's shot from the blue line was the first power-play goal the Bruins had given up in the last 32 chances for their opponents. Boston leads the league in penalty killing.

"We worked hard as a team to get that streak," Boston goaltender Byron Dafoe said. "I was screened on the shot."

Mironov was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-player trade on March 19.

"I feel real comfortable here," Mironov said. "I know the guys miss Chris Chelios (who was also traded) but I think I can help this team win."

Bourque broke a 2-2 tie 81 seconds into the third as he scored a power-play goal from just above the right circle. It was Bourque's 384th career goal, leaving him one goal shy of Paul Coffey's NHL record for career goals by a defenseman.

"When you are close to a record you think about it," Bourque said. "But (Paul) Coffey is still playing and I'm sure he will score a few more goals."

The Bruins, battling to hold onto a playoff spoin the Eastern Conference, extended their unbeaten streak to five (4-0-1). They began the night in eighth place, five points ahead of the New York Rangers.

"We were a little tired after playing back-to-back games," said Bruins coach Pat Burns. "But we got three out of four points in 48 hours and that isn't bad."

Dafoe stopped 19 shots for Boston, while Jocelyn Thibault made 23 saves in the Chicago net.

The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead when Bob Probert poked in a rebound at 16:06 of the first period. It was Probert's fourth goal of the season and first since Feb. 13 when he scored against Toronto.

Tony Amonte made it 2-0 when he scored his 37th at 7:37 of the second period while streaking down the left side.

Boston cut Chicago's lead to one when Steve Heinze scored at 11:13 of the second period on a power play. Heinze tied it at 19:11 with another power-play goal, his 20th. It was the eighth consecutive game that the Bruins have scored a power-play goal, their longest streak of the season.

"It's a bit of a disappointment to lose a lead against a team we should have beaten," Heinze said. "Sometimes these games are tougher to win when you are playing a team that has nothing to lose."

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