Corey Crawford Silences Doubters in Chicago Blackhawks' Epic 3OT Game 2 Win

Words such as "great," "classic," and "unbelievable" have all become hyperbolic word salad in today's sports-media world, too easily trotted out by writers and broadcasters whose mouths are big but vocabularies are too small.

Well, Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night truly was great, unbelievable and an instant classic. Here are a few more superlatives: sublime, epic, grandiose and frickin' awesome.

The Blackhawks were the winners, 3-2 in triple overtime, thanks to Marcus Kruger's goal at 16:12 of the sixth period of the night—the longest game in Chicago's long franchise history. This series already feels destined for the pantheon of all-time great ones, and it's only two games in.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has seen a lot of hockey, so this was a seismic statement for him to make (via CSNChicago.com's Tracey Myers):

"

Q: "that's as intense a game I've ever been a part of." #Blackhawks

— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) May 20, 2015"

What made this game great wasn't just because it lasted so long. There have been plenty of multiple-OT contests where play started to drag somewhere in the first OT and just became a question of what lucky bounce would end it. 

Not this one. Both teams still seemed to be skating at full speed even into the third OT. Both teams, particularly the Ducks, were still forechecking hard and laying hard bodies on opponents. Both teams, most of all, had great goaltending.

There were just too many superb saves to list, chapter and verse, here. But a couple of them come to mind: Corey Crawford's stop of Corey Perry from alone in the center slot in the second OT was maybe his best and most timely of the night. It seemed like Chicago's defense was starting to get tired, with Quenneville again using a short bench and not using Kimmo Timonen and Kyle Cumiskey too much.

Yet, it was a heady play by a Chicago defender, Brent Seabrook, that helped win it. Seabrook put a stick on a puck from midair and directed it toward the net, where it hit Kruger's hand. As the puck was coming down, Kruger put it past Frederik Andersen to send the series back to Chicago all evened up.

For Crawford, who played so poorly in Chicago's first-round series with Nashville that he temporarily lost his job to Scott Darling, the win was especially sweet and further vindication that he's the best man between the pipes for the Blackhawks. His stellar performance should also silence his critics, many of whom feel that the goalie is Chicago's weak link. Fox Sports 1's Kevin Burkhardt commended Crawford for his exceptional performance:

Crawford finished with 60 saves, a career high, while Andersen posted 53. Andersen had a few for the highlight reel, including an amazing toe stop on Antoine Vermette that seemed destined to end it.

Here is a stat, courtesy of NBC before the start of the first overtime, that summed up why Chicago might have the edge once the game got that far:

NBCSN

Entering Game 2, Chicago players had 17 career overtime goals compared to just three for Anaheim players. Make it 18 now, after Kruger's tally.

"I got lucky," Kruger told NBC's Brian Engblom on air right after the goal. "It bounced off me, then in."

Chicago has been in pressure-packed playoff moments like these so many more times than Anaheim, and that edge came through for the Hawks again. However, this series has all the looks of one destined for seven games. And it's hard not to wonder if, even though the Hawks pulled one out in Game 2, maybe the pounding they're taking from Anaheim physically won't catch up to them as the series wears on.

Anaheim was credited with 71 hits in this one, to 45 for Chicago. While the Hawks seemed to be trying to win on skill and finesse alone as the game wore on, Anaheim was still throwing its weight around. That helped create some turnovers and good chances for the Ducks on Crawford, but he was unbeatable from the second period on.

This game had it all, including something I'd never seen before—a player who made like a soccer player and headed a puck in. Chicago's Andrew Shaw pulled a Lionel Messi and knocked the puck in with a jumping header for what some originally thought would be a winning goal.

Not so fast, pal. Rule 78.5 of the NHL Rulebook says a goal is disallowed—"When the puck has been directed, batted or thrown into the net by an attacking player other than with a stick."

"I thought maybe it had a chance. It wasn't my hands or my skates. I wasn't sure. Maybe the Premier leagues will be scouting me now," Shaw told the CBC on air after the game.

Here's the thing: Shaw was on the ice as an opponent when Mississauga's Devante Smith-Pelly headed a goal in against Shaw's Owen Sound team in a 2011 Memorial Cup game. The goal was rightfully disallowed then too, as this video shows:

Can the Ducks overcome this kind of exhausting and heartbreaking loss with their next two games at the Madhouse on Madison? No question, this will be their toughest test of the season. They had a cakewalk during their first couple of rounds, but as they've discovered, this veteran Blackhawks team—even a short-handed one—still wants to win another Cup as badly as ever.

Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell seems mighty sure his team has the advantage over Anaheim now, as the Orange County Register's Eric Stephens relayed:

"

Bickell on win: “That’s going to take the wind out of their sails definitely. Now, we need to back it up in Chicago."

— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) May 20, 2015"

Those sound like fighting words to me. Bulletin-board material.

However, there's still plenty of wind in the sails of this Anaheim team—and plenty of optimism that we'll be seeing at least one more classic before this series is through.