After blowing a two-goal lead, the Chicago Blackhawks kept their season alive on Thursday night as Patrick Kane scored in double overtime to secure a 4-3 victory.
The win means that the Blackhawks and Blues will contest Game 6 on Saturday night at the United Center, with the Blues still holding a 3-2 series lead.
The Blackhawks started with their big guns united in the game, as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook paired up on defense and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane combined on offense, but the results weren’t immediately evident. The Blackhawks managed just four shots on goal in the first period, and two of those came in the closing seconds as the Blues kept the Hawks at bay.
In the second period, the Blues came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, and Corey Crawford made some of the biggest saves he’s made in the series. The Blues had an early power play to assist in their barrage, but Crawford repelled every shot he faced and Niklas Hjalmarsson made a huge block just in front of the blue paint to keep the game scoreless.
When the Blues got another power play on a David Rundblad penalty, the Blackhawks were the ones that scored to take advantage. Marian Hossa sprinted down the ice on a 2-on-1 rush with Duncan Keith, and the veteran winger blasted a shot past Brian Elliott’s glove to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, the Blues responded just 63 seconds later and knotted things up. Jaden Schwartz, who already had scored two goals in the series, added a third as he broke across the blue line and fired a slap shot just inside the far post to tie the game at 1-1.
With about five minutes to go in the second period, the Blackhawks scored again to take the lead back. Artemi Panarin finished off a sustained possession in the offensive zone by putting a shot on Brian Elliott, and even though the goaltender made the initial save, Artem Anisimov batted the puck out of midair to give Chicago back the advantage.
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With under a second remaining in the period, the Blackhawks scored a critical insurance goal. Patrick Kane made a patient play below the goal crease, and as the Blues’ defense cycled around the zone, Kane found Panarin with a pass and the Russian rookie rifled a one-timer into the back of the cage to give the Blackhawks a two-goal lead after 40 minutes of play.
The Blackhawks let off the gas significantly as the third period got underway, and the Blues took advantage as they narrowed the deficit. Robby Fabbri did the honors for the home side, scoring his first career playoff goal to tighten things up to a 3-2 margin.
The Blues' continued desperation paid dividends with about five minutes left in regulation, and the Blackhawks gave up the tying goal. Brent Seabrook turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and David Backes tipped home an Alex Pietrangelo shot to knot things up at 3-3.
After an intense overtime period, the Blackhawks got some early pressure and scored to win in the second extra stanza. After Kane was denied on an initial wraparound attempt at the net, he got the puck back and was able to quickly tuck a shot into the cage to give the Hawks a remarkable victory.
