Blackhawks batter Flyers, 4-0

CHICAGO - The momentum the Flyers built with a dramatic comeback win in Dallas three nights earlier did not carry into Tuesday night at the United Center.

Instead, the Flyers looked lost during an uninspired opening period in which they allowed three goals in a 2-minute, 6-second span en route to a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Patrick Kane - whose name will live in Flyers infamy because of a certain goal in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals - had a pair of power-play tallies as Chicago (4-0-1) remained undefeated in regulation.

Emergency starter Antti Raanta, making his first appearance since April 12, made 32 saves and notched his second career shutout - and the first by Chicago against the Flyers since Tony Esposito on Jan. 18, 1976.

When the Blackhawks weren't breaking down ice on an odd-man rush, they were cycling in the Flyers' zone for long periods as they built a 14-1 shots domination at the start of the game.

"We were like deer in the headlights in the first period," coach Craig Berube said after the Flyers, who had a three-game points streak snapped, slipped to 1-3-2.

"The first period defensively was brutal," said Jake Voracek, who failed to score a point for the first time in the season's six games.

Chicago fired 43 shots at goalie Steve Mason.

"We had a horrible start, and Mase was pretty much the only guy playing his game out there," defenseman Mark Streit said.

Mason made four difficult saves in the first half of the opening period to keep the game scoreless.

He stopped Brandon Saad's point-blank attempt, but Brad Richards' shot trickled through the goalie's pads and stopped in the crease, where the hustling Saad knocked in the rebound. That gave Chicago a 1-0 lead with 8:06 left in the first.

Just 32 seconds later, Kane scored on the power play, jamming in a rebound off the back boards while Michael Raffl was in the penalty box for kneeing.

After Raffl missed a golden scoring chance in front, Bryan Bickell made it 3-0 with his first goal of the season, finishing off an odd-man rush by firing a left-circle shot that beat Mason to the far side, just inside the right post.

The Flyers seemingly received a break because Corey Crawford, the Blackhawks' standout goalie, was unable to play because of an upper-body injury that became worse Monday night.

But Raanta, who played well in two games against the Flyers last season, made things look easy Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Finnish goalie, making his first appearance of the season, denied Claude Giroux from in front to keep the Blackhawks ahead, 3-0, with 5:15 remaining in the middle period.

Less than two minutes later, he turned aside Matt Read from the doorstep, and he brushed away Giroux's left-circle blast with four seconds to go in the second.

"He's worked hard in practice to be ready for the challenge," Chicago assistant Kevin Dineen said.

Kane got inside position on Nick Grossmann and scored on a rebound, putting the Blackhawks ahead, 4-0, with 16:10 left. Chicago had been in a 1 for 12 power-play slump, but Kane's second goal made them 2 for 4 on the night.

Mason (0-3-1), who took a 3.78 goals-against average and .865 save percentage into the night, said that "sometimes you have to find ways to make saves you're not supposed to make." But once again, he got little support from a defense that is missing its top defenders: Kimmo Timonen (blood clots) and Braydon Coburn (injured left foot).

Coburn missed his fifth straight game. After the morning skate, Berube said Coburn was "as close as he can get to being ready to go."

The coach said he was contemplating going with seven defensemen, but wanted to make sure Coburn was OK after pregame warm-ups.

After taking part in warm-ups, however, Coburn said he didn't feel right and was scratched from the lineup. The Flyers have allowed four goals per game without him.

On Wednesday in Pittsburgh, the Flyers play the league's highest-scoring team, so they would seem much more formidable if Coburn is ready to return.

If not, this three-game road trip is not expected to end pleasantly.