After a total let down in game 4, the Blackhawks were back in Boston, Wednesday night, to try and even up the series. Marian Hossa was back in the lineup for the Hawks, but how effective would he be? The Hawks were going to need some help to even this thing up, because the Bruins were whipping the Blackhawks all over the ice. This one was worth the money.
The Blackhawks came out in familiar fashion with momentum, and even scored an early shorthanded goal, but all that came crashing down with a Bruins powerplay goal. Following the Bruins goal, all the pressure favored Boston, even though the Hawks early pressure left them with a 12-9 lead in shots.
The second period was a complete shitshow and track meet. There were 5 goals scored and 24 total shots. The Hawks were lucky to come out of the middle period up one goal, but beggars can't be choosers. The Hawks had three of the five goals, and 13 of the 24 shots.
The third period wasn't AS bad as the second but the Hawks defense didn't do much better either. As fast as the Hawks took the lead back, they gaveth away. The Bruins were able to tie the game and take it to extra time. After all the fireworks, the Hawks had 16 shots, to the Bruins 8 shots. The fire drill of an OT went the Hawks way and they headed back home with a tied series.
- The Hawks started off on what seemed to be a sour note, taking a soft penalty, but thanks to Tyler Seguin and Brandon Saad the Hawks scored a shorthanded goal. Seguin tried a fancy play on the boards, and Saad picked his pocket. Saad then rushed in on Chara, and was able to work a pass across to the late man, Handzus. Zus one timed it past Rask for a 1-0 Hawks lead. Great start for the Hawks. Love to see Chara picking the puck out of his own net, and slow ass Handzus beating Mr Universe Patrice Bergeron back on the play.
- Just about halfway through the second period, El Capitan made an appearance. He started the rush up the left side and was able to throw a puck across the Bruins crease. The puck worked all the way back to Roszival who put a shot on net. Toews tipped the puck under Rask's pad and into the net, for a 2-1 Hawks lead.
- Just a two minutes and eight seconds after the Toews goal, and following the Sharp breakaway, Crazy 8s picked up a very generous Bickell rebound. With the net wide open, after Rask committed to the Bickell shot, Kane put the Hawks up 3-1.
- Less than a minute after the Lucic goal, Frolik and Kruger worked a 2-on-1 against Chara. Frolik waited out a prone Chara, and got the puck to Kruger. Kruger cut back across the crease, but couldn't get the puck around Rask's toe. Luckily, he had the presence of mind to put the brakes on and put it up over Rask, for a 4-2 Hawks lead.
- After a 5-on-4 Bruins powerplay turned into a 4-on-3 Hawks powerplay, the Blackhawks eventually got their first powerplay goal of the series. Nothing special, just threw the puck at the net and Sharp jammed it in.
- After the Hawks played pretty terrible defense the entire overtime, some diligent offensive zone work finally went the Hawks way, and Brent Seabrook was the fortunate son. Lucky Number Sleven beat Rask to tie the series up, and send the Hawks home with regained home ice advantage.
- Funny how the play stays even when the Blackhawks score on the powerplay and win some faceoffs. If it weren't for Handzus and his 38% at the dots, the Hawks would have been over 50% for the first time in the series.
- Sharpie had a breakaway on a long Nick Leddy feed, just prior to the Kane goal, and there was no trailer to follow up the play, AT ALL. You have to follow that up looking for a rebound.
- The Bruins briefly cut the Hawks lead to 3-2 after Patrick Sharp blindly threw the puck up the boards to Chara. Chara got the puck to Lucic who was planted in the high slot. If Sharp didn't pull a total fly-by of Lucic, he wouldn't have been able to get the shot off, but instead he beat Crawford.
- Just under two minutes after the Hawks went back up by two, they surrendered another powerplay goal. Chara took a shot that went over the net, hit the glass, bounced back off the top of the net and fell in front of the net, just outside the crease. Bergeron was standing there waiting for it, while Seabrook and Oduya stood around hugging the posts and watched. If Bergeron didn't bury it, Marchand was in position to get a hold of it, too. 4-3 Hawks.
- Just two minutes into the third period, Jagr and Bergeron worked over the Hawks 4th line deep in their own zone and after all the running around, Bergeron was left wide open at the top of the circle. Jagr got him the puck and he beat Crawford with a one timer to tie up the game.
- Just a minute or so after the Hawks went up 5-4 the Bruins came back and worked a Hawks makeshift line and Horton fed Boychuk, who blasted a shot past Crawford, for the 5th glove side goal of the game.
- For some reason, Nick Leddy was held to a total of four shifts, equaling 2:37, but was still on the bench. I'm not sure I saw him do anything that would result in a benching, so I'm completely baffled. All Quenneville had to say after the game was, "Nick is fine". Eat a bag of dicks, Q! What the hell is going on?????? 67 and a half minutes on the bench for your best puck moving D-Man and only decent powerplay QB is NOT "fine".
- The Bruins tied the game on a powerplay, after the Hawks took exception to a late Chris Kelly check on Shaw. The Hawks won the faceoff and Saad picked up the puck and tried to fire it out, but ended up not getting all of the attempt, and it went right to the Bruins D man. He kept the puck in but Saad had a second chance to clear the puck. That didn't go so well either. He blew a tire and ate shit right in the middle of the Hawks zone coughing the puck up to Peverley. Crawford was cheating, and expecting a pass across to a wide open Paille. Instead Peverley shot and beat Crawford. Ugly, Ugly goal. As responsible that Saad was for the Hawks goal, he was just as responsible for the Bruins goal.
- Tyler Seguin, Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand. Combined minus NINE. Consequently, Nik Hjalmarsson was the only Blackhawk worse than minus 1 with a minus TREY himself. Hammer was also listed as having 3 turnovers.
- Doc Emerick is going senile. With 4:33 left in the game, he says, "Just over half way through the third period." I'm not a math whiz, but I think he might have been SLIGHTLY off.
