ST. LOUIS — Patrick Kane scored 3:07 into the second overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory against the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round series on Thursday at Scottrade Center.
Kane collected a loose puck at the side of the net after it squirted past Blues goalie Brian Elliott off a Richard Panik shot and slid a backhand into the net.
The Blues lead the best-of-7 series 3-2, with Game 6 at United Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports 2).
The Blues, who came into the game with a 3-1 series lead, rallied from a 3-1 deficit and forced overtime with third-period goals by Robby Fabbri and David Backes. Jaden Schwartz had a second-period power-play goal, and Elliott finished with 31 saves.
Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin scored second-period goals for the Blackhawks, who got 43 saves from Corey Crawford.
Since 2009, the Blackhawks are 12-4 when facing elimination and 44-15 in games 4-7 of all series.
The Blues lost for the first time in franchise history (5-1) when holding a 3-1 series lead with a chance to clinch on home ice.
Fabbri cut Chicago’s lead to 3-2 when he cut around defenseman Brent Seabrook to the slot and beat Crawford to the short side at 6:57 after taking outlet Alex Pietrangelo‘s pass.
Backes made it 3-3 with 5:10 remaining. He was between the hash marks in the slot when he deflected Pietrangelo’s straightaway wrist shot from inside the blue like past Crawford.
Hossa put the Blackhawks on top 1-0 at 11:32 of the second period when he was sprung by Niklas Hjalmarsson on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break after Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk tried rimming the puck around in the corner. Hossa went in with Duncan Keith, kept the puck and beat Elliott to the short side off the post for his 50th playoff goal.
But with Anisimov still off for tripping, Schwartz tied it at 12:29 with his third power-play goal in as many games. He took an outlet pass from Pietrangelo and beat Crawford from the left circle to the glove side.
But Chicago scored twice late in the period to go up 3-1. Anisimov followed up Panarin’s shot from the left circle and popped it in at 15:24 after Elliott couldn’t handle the rebound. Panarin scored with 0.4 seconds left after the Blues won a defensive zone faceoff but Kane checked Jay Bouwmeester off the puck before getting it from Jonathan Toews and feeding Panarin for the slap shot high short side from the slot.
Chicago had an apparent goal waved off on the ice with 6:43 remaining after Marcus Kruger took Elliott into the net after making a power move off the left.
