CHICAGO — The Bruins were mad when they played poorly in the first period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Then they went out and got even with the Blackhawks.
This group of Bruins is one resilient bunch.
Daniel Paille scored at 13:48 in overtime and the Bruins used another great performance by Tuukka Rask to overcome a sluggish start in a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks last night, tying the series at a game apiece.
“We got rewarded because I thought from the second period on, we were a good team, a better team, and by the end I thought we had more chances,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said.
Three days after a three-overtime thriller in the opener, the Original Six foes once again were tied after regulation. The Bruins then turned up their play and finally cashed in after goaltender Corey Crawford singlehandedly kept the Blackhawks in the game.
Brandon Bollig had a turnover in the Chicago end and Tyler Seguin passed it to Paille, who shot it under Crawford’s glove and off the right post for his third goal of the playoffs. The slick shot sent the Bruins back to Boston with the momentum ahead of Game 3 tomorrow night.
“We just kept the pressure on and Seggy threw the puck to me,” Paille said. “I just popped out and had to shoot the puck quick, get it off my stick.”
Patrick Sharp scored for Chicago, which looked more and more gassed as the night wore on. Crawford made 26 saves.
“You’ve got to kind of swallow this one and move on,” Sharp said. “We know what’s on the line in this series and going into Boston’s going to be tough, but we’re ready for the challenge. We’ll find a way to be better for Game 3.”
Paille also had an assist on Chris Kelly’s tying goal in the second, and Rask made 18 of his 33 stops in the first period.
“That’s kind of how our room is. On any given night, someone can step up,” Kelly said. “Paille showed that tonight.”
The first two games of last year’s Stanley Cup also went to overtime, with the Kings taking a 2-0 lead at New Jersey en route to defeat the Devils in six games. Before last season, it had been 61 years since the first two games of the finals needed an extra period to decide the winner. In that 1951 Stanley Cup, each of the five games went to overtime, with Toronto taking the series against Montreal.
The way Chicago and Boston are playing, a repeat is certainly possible.