Ducks control West finals with OT win in Game 5
Matt Beleskey celebrates his OT winner in midair. (Getty Images)
Anaheim Ducks vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 5
Ducks 5, Blackhawks 4 (OT) | Ducks lead series 3-2 | Game 6 Wednesday
Game 5 in a nutshell: The Ducks dominated the first period from puck drop on, opening up a 3-0 lead before the Blackhawks even knew what hit them. Chicago responded with a pair of goals in the second period and tied the game late in regulation with a pair of goals from Jonathan Toews. Overtime lasted just 45 seconds as Matt Beleskey knocked home Ryan Kesler‘s rebound to put the Ducks within a win of the Stanley Cup Final.
Turning point: The Ducks regrouped quickly after squandering a late multigoal lead. The Blackhawks scored twice with under two minutes remaining in regulation. That’s a tough thing to come back from, especially for the Ducks when you consider the opponent. The Blackhawks, who had not lost in overtime in these playoffs, had history and momentum on their side. None of it mattered. The Ducks ended it quickly, with Beleskey’s winner leaving no time for doubt to creep in.
Three things we learned
1. The Ducks defied history. Since Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane arrived in Chicago, the Blackhawls had gone a collective 14-0 in Games 5 and 6 of series that were 2-2. Well, they’re 14-1 now. That run from Chicago is simply ridiculous and a good example of the benefits of having a lot of postseason experience. However, Anaheim is now in the driver’s seat as the series shifts back to Chicago. You wonder how much fatigue plays a role as Chicago’s defense is a real concern (see No. 2), but the Ducks delivered in a situation no other teams have been able to in the playoffs since 2009. Additionally, the Blackhawks had not lost in overtime in four previous opportunities this postseason. History, no matter how recent, doesn’t always work as a predictive measure. It does, however, make what Anaheim accomplished more impressive.
2. Three of Anaheim’s five goals immediately followed one of Chicago’s bottom two defensemen getting a touch on the puck. Chicago’s defensive depth has been a story all series and in this game, one could argue their lack of anything beyond their top four cost them Game 5. That’s not to take anything away from the Ducks, who were dominant in the first period in a lot of ways. But Chicago’s bottom two defensemen — Kyle Cumiskey and Kimmo Timonen — made errors that led to goals. Joel Quenneville has to play them because their top four can’t average 35 minutes among them in regulation, but this is the risk they run with their situation on defense. Who would have thought they’d miss Michal Rozsival, the team’s fifth defenseman before his postseason-ending ankle fracture, this badly?
3. The Ducks won despite a rough outing from Frederik Andersen. Anaheim’s goaltender has been very good in these playoffs, but he wasn’t in Game 5. After the first period, Chicago found its game. Andersen let up a softy on Chicago’s first goal by Teuvo Teravainen. The tying goal late in regulation was worse as Jonathan Toews just threw a puck at the net and caught Andersen sleeping. Andersen did make one more save than Corey Crawford against as many shots (28), but a lot of credit goes to the players in front of Andersen for picking up their goaltender and getting him a win when he wasn’t at his best. That’s what good teams do.
Video of the game: The Ducks made sure overtime didn’t last long after Bryan Bickell‘s dump-in attempt was picked off. Ryan Kesler made the smart play by taking the shot on the 2-on-1 and keeping it low for rebound potential. The puck popped right off of Crawford’s pads to the hard-charging Matt Beleskey and he made no mistake about it.
45 seconds was all it took for @matt_beleskey to win it for the @AnaheimDucks. #StanleyCup https://t.co/P8WKerOFRH
— NHL (@NHL) May 26, 2015
Bonus GIF of the Game: The bench celebration after the Ducks’ winner was pretty exuberant, but nobody — and I mean nobody — beats head coach Bruce Boudreau’s exuberance. Look at the little bald head at the upper edge of this GIF as Boudreau bounced up and down like a little kid after the goal. You have to love that kind of emotion pouring out of a coach.
Ducks bench (why is the ice that color?) pic.twitter.com/WAJTLLvRgX
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) May 26, 2015
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