Recap: Philadelphia vs. Chicago
Sports Network | June 10, 2010
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Patrick Kane's goal 4:06 into overtime lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to take a deciding Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Kane shot from a sharp angle along the left wing, and managed to sneak a low shot through Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton, touching off a wild celebration by the visitors, who claimed their first championship since 1961.
"I knew it right away. It was stuck behind the meshing there," Kane said of the score, which had to be upheld by review since the puck was not visible inside the net. "I can't believe this just happened. It's something you dream of as a kid. To score the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was just...it was unbelievable."
Philadelphia put up a valiant fight, tying the game with 3:59 left in regulation when Scott Hartnell notched his second goal of the contest as he managed to get his stick on a loose puck in the low slot. The Flyers had the best of the early chances in overtime, but Chicago ultimately proved to be the fresher club and capitalized on the final break.
"I'm proud of these guys for giving themselves a chance to compete for the Cup. It hurts right now but they never quit. They fought through adversity and competed right until the end," said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette, whose club reached the finals thanks to an historic comeback from an 0-3 series deficit in the East semifinals against Boston.
Kane added two assists, while Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd also tallied for the Blackhawks, who had come up empty since topping the Detroit Red Wings 49 years ago. It was the longest current title drought in the NHL.
Jonathan Toews, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, collected an assist and tied Denis Savard's franchise playoff record with 29 points in the postseason. Savard initially set that record through three rounds in 1985.
"It's like that commercial. I'm speechless," Toews said, referencing a league marketing campaign where Cup winners have no words to describe the win. "This team put on one heck of a run. We knew from day one of this season we had the potential to do it. And to realize our goal, it's an amazing feeling."
For Marian Hossa, who did not record a point in the game, the victory was vindication. The 31-year-old Czech avoided becoming the first player in NHL history to lose in a Finals with three different teams in three consecutive years. He'd come up empty with Pittsburgh in 2008 and with Detroit last season.
Antti Niemi looked shaky at times in the third period and overtime, but nonetheless earned his 16th win of the postseason with 21 stops for Chicago, which became the first team to win on the road in the best-of-seven set.
Danny Briere picked up a goal and two assists and in the process set a new Flyers' single-season playoff points record with 30. Ville Leino added two key assists for Philadelphia, which has fallen short in each of its last six Cup Finals appearances since last winning in 1975.
"It feels like you got hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. Maybe later you can look back on what happened, but it doesn't feel too good right now," admitted a sullen Philly defenseman Braydon Coburn. "I wish I could explain this feeling better...maybe I can look back on this with something positive to say maybe two months from now, but right now it just hurts."
Leighton acquitted himself well in defeat. After being pulled following the first period in Sunday's Game 5 loss, he made 37 saves in this season-ending defeat -- several of them crucial as his club clawed from behind just to reach the extra session.
"There was never any quit in this team, We came back time and time again," noted Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, who reached his third Finals in five seasons in his first year with Philadelphia. "We didn't come out like we wanted to but got that big goal late in the third period and Leighton came up with some big saves."
The Blackhawks got on the board during their second power-play opportunity of the opening period, with Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger off for high- sticking.
After a scrum to the right of the Philadelphia net, Byfuglien was alone at the top of the crease to shovel home a centering feed by Toews at the 16:49 mark.
Blackhawks backliner Brent Seabrook was given an elbowing penalty seconds after the score, but Philadelphia came up empty. Chicago blueliner Brent Sopel followed with an interference infraction with 53 seconds to play in the first and the home team finally capitalized.
Briere shot from the bottom of the right circle, and the rebound came out to Hartnell, who backhanded the puck through Niemi's legs while facing away from the cage at 19:33.
Philly took a 2-1 edge thanks to a miscue in the neutral zone. Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith fell while trying to gather the puck, freeing up Leino to swoop in, charge through the middle and dish to Briere, who waited a second to lift the puck high over a fallen Niemi at eight minutes even.
In a 4-on-4 situation, Chicago knotted the game as Sharp was uncovered in front to tip a Dave Bolland centering feed through Leighton's pads at 9:58.
Ladd then put the Blackhawks ahead with a deflection of a long shot at the 17:43 mark, when Niklas Hjalmarsson unleashed a slap shot from below the left circle that beat Leighton on a tip on the short side.
In desperation, the Flyers kept coming in waves and eventually tied the game inside four minutes left in regulation. Leino came down the right side and dished into the slot. The puck caromed off the skate of a Blackhawks defender near the crease and Hartnell was able to get his stick on the disc before Niemi could seal off the post.
Jeff Carter, who only notched one empty-net goal in the series, was robbed of a game-winner with 90 seconds to play as Niemi dove forward and used the glove to snuff out a wide-open chance.
"This series was very competitive. My hats off to Philly," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "Hey, the building is as good as it will ever get, and they just kept coming."
The last time a Stanley Cup Final was decided in overtime happened on June 10, 2000 as New Jersey topped Dallas, 2-1, in double OT...Kane finished with 10 goals and 28 points...Chicago won for the first time in four tries in Philadelphia this season...The Flyers fell to 3-2 all-time in Cup Finals Game 6 (wins in 1974-75, 1987; losses in 1980 and 2010)...Philly also fell to 9-2 at home this postseason...For Ladd, this was his second career title, with the first coming in 2006 with Carolina and Laviolette his head coach...Byfuglien wound up with 11 goals and 16 points...Leino tied the NHL's rookie playoff point-scoring mark with 21 (7G, 14A), originally set by Dino Ciccarelli of Minnesota in 1981 (14G, 7A)...Briere ended the postseason with 12 goals and 18 assists...The Flyers and Blackhawks racked up 47 goals in this six-game matchup.
