Chicago triple OT win over Ducks had historical feel

The sense of history was lost on the Chicago Blackhawks after their 3-2 triple overtime Game 2 Western Conference Final win over the Anaheim Ducks.

That’s what happens when you’re part of a core group that finds new ways to create thrilling moments for a storied organization.

“We’ve been through that a few times now in the last couple of years and I think the idea is more relief, some excitement,” Chicago forward Patrick Sharp said. “(Corey Crawford) made some huge saves to keep us in it and keep the game going. I know (Marcus Kruger) scored that goal, but it seems like every time (Brent Seabrook) handles that puck in overtime, he’s dangerous and something’s gonna happen.”

Chicago’s victory occurred in the longest game in franchise history. This was set on April 9, 1931. Just think about that for a second. When an Original Six team sets a record like that, there’s some perspective that needs to soak in.

Defenseman Duncan Keith played 49:51 – coming 10:09 away from playing a full 60 minutes.

Goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 60 Ducks shots on goal. Four Blackhawks players were on ice over 40 minutes.

Hydration-type bottles were littered around the Chicago locker room after the game. Shakes, other types of liquid … the Blackhawks needed anything and everything possible to not go down 0-2 heading back to the United Center.

The defensive depth (or lack thereof) we talked about before Game 2, ended up being some bizarre strength for the Blackhawks. As players on both teams faded in the second half of the second overtime and the entire third, both Kimmo Timonen and Kyle Cumiskey, who both played under 20 minutes, looked like weapons as Anaheim’s blueliners also piled on the ice-time.

Francois Beauchemin led the Ducks with 46:29 total.

The game could have really gone either way in the overtime. Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen rang iron twice. Corey Perry did once. If any of those shots shifted or moved a few inches, this story would read differently.

But they didn’t, which is why Chicago still has the magic mantra of the team that just ‘knows how to win’ these types of games. They’re 3-1 in their last three triple-overtime games.

One of those was a triple OT victory over Nashville in Game 4 of the first-round series this year.

Is there any method to finding victory in a triple-OT game? Does experience play any factor?

“Maybe less nerves,” a strangely Zen (or exhausted or relieved) Crawford said. “But for sure it definitely helps when we’ve been through a bunch of these situations.”

Defenseman Brent Seabrook scored the game-winner against Nashville, and he found himself with the primary assist on Marcus Kruger’s score at the 16:12 mark of the third overtime. Seabrook just sort of threw the puck at the net, and Kruger was there to push the rebound past a diving Frederik Andersen.

"We've got to have short memory right now....Nothing you can do about it now," Andersen, who made 53 stops said.

Could this defeat be soul crushing for the Ducks, who were the better team for most of regulation in spite of two power play goals in the first period by Chicago?

Probably not. Both teams know they’re good and this is likely to be a long series.

Maybe the fact that so many Blackhawks players played such an obscene amount could turn into an advantage for Anaheim as the series goes longer.

Really, who knows? It’s hockey where a bounce here or there can change a series.

By the end, the game, and poor ice condition turned the contest from a real hockey game into an episode of Survivor. The players were mostly disjointed, seeming to run out of gas after 20 seconds in a shift. The goaltenders remained sharp and focused, which was a minor miracle for a game that started at 6:15 p.m. and ended at 11:07 p.m.

“When you play that long in a game it’s nice to come out on the winning side, as well. It’s going to be that type of series,” Sharp said. “I don’t think we were surprised with the one-goal game. They certainly had their chances.”

And that’s what the Ducks need to build on.

For Chicago, they know what a win like this means. They know what a loss like this can do. They’re the team with two Stanley Cups since 2010. The Ducks, for all their depth and versatility, have the feel of the challenger.

“You know, we had chances to win it,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We didn't win it. They took advantage of their chance.”