Skip to content

Anaheim Ducks (1-1) at Chicago Blackhawks (1-1), 8 p.m. (ET)

(SportsNetwork.com) - One Chicago Blackhawk tried to use his head to help his team get on the board in the Western Conference finals only to see his scoring attempt waved off.

In the end, the Blackhawks were able to pick up the win and tie the Anaheim Ducks at one game apiece heading into Thursday's Game 3 at the United Center.

Chicago earned a split of the first two games in Anaheim and hopes to take its first lead of this best-of-seven set in tonight's home test. The Blackhawks were slammed 4-1 in Game 1 at the Honda Center before gutting out a 3-2 triple-overtime victory on Tuesday night.

Marcus Kruger scored the winning goal with 3:48 left in the third extra session to knot the series at 1-1 before it shifted to Chicago for Games 3 and 4.

Kruger's second goal of the postseason handed the Blackhawks a win in the longest game in franchise history. Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook had the puck at the right point and fired a shot that hit Kruger in front of the net. Before the puck hit the ice Kruger was able to push it into the net.

The winning goal came after Andrew Shaw attempted to end the game with a move common to soccer but rarely seen in the NHL.

As the epic battle approached the midway point of the second OT, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane charged the net from the right side and got a shot off that popped straight into the air. That's when Shaw leaped up and head-butted the puck into the net with 11:13 remaining in the period. However, after a brief review of the play, the officials correctly called it no goal.

Rule 78.5 says a goal will be disallowed "when the puck has been directed, batted or thrown into the net by an attacking player other than with a stick."

Although the play was against the rules, some of Shaw's teammates were still impressed with his soccer move.

"I know it's in the rule book but that's a pretty athletic play and a pretty entertaining play as well," said Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp.

Shaw opened the scoring for Chicago with a power-play marker at 2:14 of the opening period and Marian Hossa made it 2-0 by also scoring on the man advantage at 6:19 of the first. However, the Blackhawks wouldn't get another goal until Kruger's marker over five periods later.

Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford kept his team alive with a brilliant performance, stopping 60-of-62 shots to earn the victory. Crawford also helped the Blackhawks kill off all five of Anaheim's power-play chances.

"We've been there before. We know what it takes to win, especially late in those games," said Shaw. "I think both teams played well in overtime. We both had our scoring opportunities. Corey stood on his head and kept us in it."

Andrew Cogliano and Corey Perry scored the goals for Anaheim. Perry tied the game at 2-2 with 2:30 remaining in the second period, but the star winger had a few chances to end the contest in the overtime periods and couldn't deliver.

"These are the tough ones, but you shake it off and keep going," said Perry. "I had a few I should have buried. We're in for a battle here. The next game is in two days, we'll rest and refocus and be ready to go."

Frederik Andersen was the tough-luck loser, making 53 saves for the Ducks, who had won all six home games in the playoffs before this loss. Anaheim, which swept Winnipeg in the first round and beat Calgary in five games in the conference semis, fell to 9-2 overall in these playoffs.

Tuesday's game marked the fourth time Anaheim played more than two overtime periods in franchise history. The club's longest-ever game was a 5-OT victory over Dallas in the conference semifinals on April 24, 2003

Chicago, which will also host the Ducks on Saturday, is 5-0 at home in the 2015 postseason. Anaheim is 3-1 on the road this spring.

This is the first-ever postseason series between the Blackhawks and Ducks.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox