Matt Beleskey ended a nearly nightmarish stretch for the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night when he potted a rebound past Corey Crawford with 45 seconds elapsed in overtime to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4.
“That’s the biggest goal I’ve ever scored,” Beleskey said. “It’s a great feeling any time you do that, especially at home. We’re one game away from a Stanley Cup berth. It was 
a huge goal and it felt unbelievable.”
The extra session was needed after Hawks captain Jonathan Toews scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to tie the game at four all.
“We said it was our turn,” Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said about the intermission before overtime. “Don’t be upset and hang your heads. Get angry. Get really mad because we [threw] it away a little bit. Just come back and do what you did in the first period. Things will work out.”
The game started poorly for Chicago who were outshot 11-3 in the first period when the Ducks built a 3-0 lead.
“We said it was our turn,” Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said about the intermission before overtime. “Don’t be upset and hang your heads. Get angry. Get really mad because we [threw] it away a little bit. Just come back and do what you did in the first period. Things will work out.”
But, as the Blackhawks have demonstrated for a long time now, they can respond and did even after the Ducks’ Patrick Maroon scored to make it 4-2 with 5:15 left in regulation.
“We played a good hockey team.” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “We came out the way we wanted to. You always want to come out and respond after a loss, especially in overtime like that. Traveled home, did what we needed to do to regroup and get back out there.
“We played a pretty good hockey game out there. Aside from the two goals at the end of the game, we controlled the hockey game.”
Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen also scored for Anaheim.
Frederik Andersen made 24 saves for the win and was bailed out by Beleskey’s OT heroics.
“Well, you know what, he’s played so many good games in a row, and he’s bailed us out so often. You know, he had an unfortunate couple of goals against him today,” Boudreau said of Andersen. “Freddie will be the first one to tell you he should have had them. But it was time that we bailed him out. He’ll be back to his normal, regular, great self in two days.
“It was good to see if he had a bad game, we were able to help him out a little bit.”
Game 6 is back at the United Center in Chicago Wednesday night.
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