Blackhawks vs. Ducks: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks scored twice in the first 6:19 of Tuesday's Game 2 against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, appearing on course to even up the Western Conference Final series at one game apiece.

It was anything but easy for Chicago from there. The Ducks fought back with two unanswered goals, and a scoreless deadlock occurred until the Blackhawks prevailed 3-2 in what amounted to almost two full games in triple overtime, which the team's official Twitter account noted:

Marcus Kruger was actually struck by a Brent Seabrook shot from the right point and had to gather the puck before he put it in from point-blank range with 3:48 left in the third OT to knot the series.

The NHL's official Twitter account shared video of Kruger's winner:

James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail added historical context to the lengthy showdown, while Andrew Perloff of Sports Illustrated summarized the game well:

The cliche was fitting due to the tremendous play between the pipes. Fox Sports 1's Kevin Burkhardt praised the job Corey Crawford did in stopping 60 shots for Chicago:

Chicago's Andrew Shaw headed the puck into the net at 11:16 in the second overtime, but the goal was waved off, which would have been Chicago's third on the power play.

Larry Hawley of WGN captured the moment and weighed in on Shaw's sensational effort:

ESPN's Chris Fowler reacted to the bizarre scene as well:

Otherwise, Crawford and counterpart Frederik Andersen basically stood on their heads from the third period onward.

The first overtime featured a ton of excitement and opportunities for both teams to put the game away. Anaheim had a 9-8 edge in shots but hit the post twice. Tracey Myers of CSNChicago.com observed how the Blackhawks blue line was being put to the test:

Shaw lit the lamp first for Chicago just 2:14 into the game, capitalizing on a tripping penalty whistled on Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. Shaw set a great screen in front of Andersen and tipped in a Duncan Keith one-timer off a Jonathan Toews pass.

The NHL's official Twitter account shared footage of the beautiful goal:

Veteran Marian Hossa then hustled when a shot by Brad Richards began to squeeze past Andersen, tipping the puck home to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 advantage.

Toews had mentioned before Game 2 how his side felt the need to increase its offensive production.

"We've had some of our top guys playing really well, (but) I think there's still some guys who feel like their offense is yet to come," said Toews, per the Associated Press' Greg Beacham. "Doesn't matter who it is. We'll keep pushing, we'll find ways and we're confident."

Chicago certainly responded to those words early, but the deep Ducks dug in and promptly turned the tables following the hot Blackhawks start. At the 9:14 mark of the first period, Andrew Cogliano drew first blood for Anaheim on a strange ricochet scenario in which the puck deflected off his skate and in.

Although the second period's action didn't light up the scoreboard as often, star Ducks right winger Corey Perry made the critical play, notching the equalizer with his eighth goal of the playoffs just 2:30 before the intermission.

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the significance of Perry's tying tally:

Crawford did all he could to navigate the traffic, but Perry's coordination to tip it in gave him no chance; the NHL's official Twitter account provided highlights:

Perry struck the post twice in the overtime periods and was denied by Crawford time and again in the second overtime on multiple quality shots from close range.

The physicality and competitive nature of Game 2 was evident throughout the contest, as Sportsnet's John Shannon observed:

Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register praised the job Blackhawks 22-year-old forward Brandon Saad did to pester the Ducks and show that Chicago has decent depth of its own:

Anaheim out-shot Chicago 19-7 in the second, so the Blackhawks were rather fortunate to escape with a tie game still intact. They were also gifted a golden chance when Getzlaf went to the sin bin just 26 seconds into the third, giving Chicago a two-man advantage.

Unlike the start of the first period, when their power play was firing on all cylinders, the Blackhawks failed to execute. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times weighed in on that sequence later:

Both clubs played defensively at the end of regulation, with Chicago holding a 9-8 edge in shots in a third period that didn't feature too many legitimate scoring bids. Any lack of excitement in the final stanza was redeemed by all the free hockey to be had in the extra periods, though.

Fans were really put to the test amid the shutouts both goalies retained during the overtime action. Beacham of the AP kept track of the goalless drought:

Two important notes heading into the next contest: First, Anaheim has never given up a 2-0 series lead over 11 previous tries in franchise history. A win on Tuesday would have been almost impossible for Chicago to overcome.

The second comes from the Chicago Tribune's Chris Hine, illustrating the Blackhawks' traditional resilience after marathon games:

Even if the Blackhawks had lost, they'd still have likely been able to bounce back just fine. Now they've asserted control over the Western Conference Final.

Game 3 sees the series shift back to the United Center in the Windy City on Thursday. The Ducks are able to stay fresher than most teams because of how strong their lines are across the board, yet Chicago has outplayed Anaheim for long stretches during the first two contests.

That has to give the Blackhawks a lot of confidence heading home. They do need more from the likes of Patrick Kane and their other big stars, but Game 2 was a huge step in the right direction after Chicago failed to close well in a 4-1 loss in the opener.