Blackhawks 6, Bruins 5 (OT): Defenseman Brent Seabrook scored 9:51 into overtime as visiting Chicago won the third contest of the series to span past regulation and evened the Stanley Cup final against Boston at two games apiece.
After the teams split the first two overtime games, Seabrook ended this wild affair with a blast from the top of the right faceoff circle. Bryan Bickell's shot did not get through and the puck squirted out to Seabrook, who fired it through a maze of players and beat Tuukka Rask (41 saves) for his second overtime winner of the playoffs. The blue-liner also netted the series-clinching goal in Game 7 of Chicago's second-round matchup with Detroit.
Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were reunited on the same line and scored just over two minutes apart to highlight a five-goal second period. Patrick Sharp netted a power-play goal, Michal Handzus added a short-handed tally and Marcus Kruger also scored for the Presidents' Trophy-winning Blackhawks, who will host Game 5 on Saturday.
Patrice Bergeron scored his third power-play goal of the series late in the second period before his second tally of the night forged a 4-4 tie early in the third. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk, Rich Peverley and Milan Lucic also scored while captain Zdeno Chara and veteran Jaromir Jagr each notched a pair of assists for the Bruins, who saw their seven-game home winning streak come to an end.
Sharp gave Chicago a 5-4 lead with 8:41 remaining in the third period, ending his team's 0-for-23 stretch on the power play by cleaning up the rebound of Marian Hossa's shot from the point. Boychuk answered just 55 seconds later as he unleashed a blistering shot from the high slot that once again beat Corey Crawford (28 saves) high to the glove side.
After Kruger buried his own rebound off a 2-on-1 rush to give Chicago a 4-2 lead with 4:28 remaining in the second period, Bergeron trimmed the deficit just 1:50 later with a tap-in following a quirky deflection off the glass. Boston leveled the contest 2:05 into the third as Jagr worked the puck along the boards before feeding Bergeron, who beat Crawford from the top edge of the right circle.
GAME NOTEBOOK: This series is the first Stanley Cup final since 1993 to feature three overtime games. ... The only 6-5 overtime result in Stanley Cup final history came in 1982, with the New York Islanders pulling out the Game 1 victory over Vancouver. The Islanders went on to sweep the Canucks. ... Kane and Toews both scored in a postseason game for the first time since April 26, 2010. ... Handzus' tally ended Rask's overall shutout streak at 129 minutes and 14 seconds. The goal was the first allowed by Rask at home in a franchise-best 193:16. ... The Bruins' loss was their first at home since Game 5 of their first-round series versus Toronto. ... Jagr played in his 200th career playoff game, becoming the 19th player in NHL history to reach the milestone. He ranks fifth on the all-time list with 199 postseason points, and his 121 assists ties him for ninth place with Hall-of-Famers Glenn Anderson and Al MacInnis.
Chicago | Boston | |
Patrick Kane 2 | Points | Patrice Bergeron 2 |
Patrick Kane 1 | Goals | Patrice Bergeron 2 |
Bryan Bickell 2 | Assists | Zdeno Chara 2 |
Patrick Sharp 1 | Power Play Goals | Patrice Bergeron 1 |
Michal Handzus 1 | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Corey Crawford .848 | Save Percentage | Tuukka Rask .872 |
Corey Crawford 28 | Saves | Tuukka Rask 41 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Chicago | 47 | 6 | 1-4 | 3-5 | 12 | 38 |
Boston | 33 | 5 | 2-5 | 3-4 | 10 | 39 |