Ducks 5, Blackhawks 4 (OT)
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Left winger Matt Beleskey scored 45 seconds into overtime, and the Anaheim Ducks rebounded from blowing a late lead to earn a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
The Ducks grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series despite allowing Chicago to rally from a two-goal deficit in the last two minutes of regulation on a pair of goals by center Jonathan Toews.
On the winning play, Ducks center Ryan Kesler and Beleskey came down on a two-on-one rush. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford stopped Kesler's shot, but the rebound fell right to Beleskey, who fired it into a nearly vacated net. Beleskey then went soaring over Crawford in a scene reminiscent of Bobby Orr's Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Boston Bruins in 1970.
Game 6 is Wednesday in Chicago. If necessary, Game 7 would be played Sunday in Anaheim.
Defensemen Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen, Kesler and left winger Patrick Maroon also scored for Anaheim. Vatanen and Kesler each had an assist, and center Ryan Getzlaf and right winger Jakob Silfverberg contributed two assists apiece.
Center Teuvo Teravainen and defenseman Brent Seabrook each had a goal and an assist for Chicago, which got two assists from left winger Patrick Sharp.
Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen made 24 saves, while Crawford stopped 23 shots.
With Anaheim ahead 4-2, Toews gave Chicago a chance by scoring with 1:50 play. He added another goal with 38 seconds to go in the third period.
The Ducks darted out to an early lead, scoring two goals in 32 seconds during the first period. They scored three in 37 seconds in Game 4.
First, at 5:10, center Nate Thompson reversed the puck from the right corner to the left point for Fowler, who skated into a shot from the high slot and scored. Then, at 5:42, Silfverberg lobbed a shot toward the slot, where it was redirected successfully by Kesler. The goal between Crawford's legs prompted Chicago to use its timeout.
Anaheim extended its advantage at 14:37 of the first period. Getzlaf pulled an offensive-zone faceoff back cleanly to Vatanen, whose slap shot beat Crawford.
The Ducks had three goals before the Blackhawks had their first shot on goal, which came 16:26 into the opening period.
Chicago would strike back as Teravainen sent a soft wrist shot on net that hit Andersen and banked into the cage just 1:11 into the second period.
With just 25 seconds left in the period, the Blackhawks would slash their deficit to one. Seabrook crept from his defense position all the way down to the bottom of the right faceoff dot, where he buried the picturesque Teravainen pass he received from behind the net.
NOTES: Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf's 19 points this postseason are a franchise record. ... Anaheim has yet to lose in regulation in the 2015 postseason. ... The Ducks inserted LW Tomas Fleischmann into the lineup in place of LW Emerson Etem, who was a healthy scratch Monday. ... Chicago continued to be without D Michal Rozsival (ankle), who will not return this season. ... The Blackhawks also were missing D Trevor van Riemsdyk (knee), who has been skating after a lengthy recovery from surgery. When asked if a return was possible, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville offered a non-committal response.