Game 5 was held at United Center in Chicago were the Hawks came in to make the series to 3-2 and go back to LA to try to tie the series. The Kings came into United Center to try to close out the series and get a ticket to the Stanley Cup. But it wasn’t enough for the Kings as Kane, Saad and the rest of the Hawks team put a heck of a game and go to LA to try to tie the series and come back to United Center to win the series. Kane had four assist, Saad had 1 goal and 2 assists and Handzus had the game winning goal.
As the 1st period took place, 30 seconds into the quarter, Drew Doughty committed a penalty in which he tripped Jonathan Toews. This allowed Brent Seabrook to blast it into the net and make it 1-0.
Shortly after that goal, Johnny Oduya gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead. In a play where Kane shot it to goal, it bounced off Jonathan Quick and that allowed Oduya to get it into the net.
In the 9th minute Jarret Stoll cut the lead 2-1 where he was able to wrist shot it with assists coming form Dwight King.
Not two minutes later, the Chicago Blackhawks answered with another goal in which Brandon Saad got assists form Andrew Shaw and Patrick Kane and wrist shot it behind Quick to make it a 3-1 lead.
Marian Gaborik, who has 10 goals and is the leader of goals in the post-season, made it 3-2 two minutes later after the Hawks scored. In a play where the Hawks had a chance to make it 4-1, Quick was able to make a beautiful save, that allowed Anze Kopitar to pass it to Williams, who tried to shoot it, but was blocked by one of the defensemen. This allowed Kopitar to get the puck back, pass it to Gaborik and squeak the puck by Crawford to make it 3-2. With this goal that was 5 goals allowed in the 1st period alone. Again, that’s 5 goals that went in to end the first period.
As the 2nd period started, the game started out slow. It seemed like no one was playing hockey and just passing the puck around. 11 minutes in, Gaborik was able to get the puck and shot it towards Crawford, who blocked it, rebounded of him and that allowed the Captain, Dustin Brown, to recover the puck and get it into the net to make it 3-3.
About two minutes later, that 70’s line took over the ice and with an assist from Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, Tanner Pearson was able to get it above the right shoulder of Crawford and make it 4-3. The Kings had many chances to make the lead higher but Crawford showed momentum in the ice and saved the Hawks.
Coming into the third period, the Hawks made it a 4-4 game 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter. Brandon Saad and Johnny Oduya both came strong into the goal and as Saad shot it, again bounced of Quick and allowed Ben Smith to get the rebound and tie the game.
3rd period was filled with many nerves and a lot of chances for both teams to take the win in regular time, but it wasn’t enough and sent the game to overtime.
1st overtime was nerve-wrecking and had me on my toes and screaming at the tv. The Kings had many chances to take the 5-4 win but Crawford was being the hero for the Hawks and stopping the puck from going in. But it was the same thing with the Hawks. The Hawks had many chances to take the win but Quick had many saves and his defesne line helped him out as well by stealing the puck, blocking the puck and staying strong during the whole 1st overtime.
Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad and Michal Handzus were the heroes of game 5. 2 minutes into 2nd overtime, Patrick Kane was able to get the puck away form the Kings line, pass it to Saad who gave it to Handzus and was able to put a backhand shot past goaltender Jonathan Quick.
The Hawks had 45 shots and the Kings had 44 shots in the net. Jonathan Quick had 40 saves and Crawford also had 40 saves. Seabrook (3), Oduya (2), Saad (5), Smith (3), and Handzus (2) all scored for the Hawks as Stoll (2), Gaborik (11), Brown (4), and Pearson (4) scored for the Kings.
Last year, the Hawks and Kings went into the double overtime that allowed Kane to score and send the Hawks to the Stanley Cup in five games. Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup, Kane was the hero again and gave an assist to get the game-winning goal and send the series back to LA. The Kings still lead the series 3-2 and will have home court advantage in Game 6 and hope to take the series and go to the Stanley Cup.
Game 6 will take place at Staples center on Friday and the puck drops at 9PM ET/6PM PT.
