Blackhawks vs. Kings Game 5 final score: Chicago stays alive with 5-4 2OT win

The Chicago Blackhawks started off this series against the Los Angeles Kings with a lot of momentum but we saw how cruel the Stanley Cup gods can be as all of that momentum was whisked away by the Kings who proceeded to take the next three games in the series after losing Game 1.

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Game 5 was perhaps the most topsy-turvy game we’ve seen all postseason long as the lead changes were tremendous and the length of the game proved that neither of these teams wanted to end the night with a loss. With Los Angeles angling for a Stanley Cup berth and the Blackhawks looking to stave off elimination, we needed five periods of hockey to determine a winner and the home crowd was in for a treat when it came to the outcome.

After surviving a scare in regulation and staying alive in the first overtime, Michael Handzus snuck the puck past Jonathan Quick to send the Kings home to Los Angeles needing to win another game to knock the Blackhawks out of the postseason. Los Angeles had their chances to close out the Hawks in regulation and then again in the first overtime but failed both times to do so.

The lesson learned: don’t give the Blackhawks three chances to beat you because there won’t be a fourth.

It was a classic Blackhawks finish as they finally managed to out hustle the Kings late in the game, something that had proven difficult so far in the series. But Handzus was a savior and while the Blackhawks aren’t totally safe yet, they’re going to live to fight another day and try to send this series back to Chicago for a Game 7.