DETROIT – The third overtime was only about a minute old when Anaheim’s Todd Marchant flicked a wrist shot through traffic toward the net.
Detroit goalie Chris Osgood never saw it coming.
Marchant delivered a rare goal and the Ducks won the first multiple-overtime game of this postseason 4-3 on Sunday to even the Western Conference semifinal with the Red Wings at a game apiece.
“Not many goals get decided off of my stick, that’s for sure,” he said.
Marchant, who has been in the NHL since the 1993-94 season, had just five goals during the regular season and 12 previously in the playoffs.
The 35-year-old forward had plenty of energy on the game-winning play and help from teammate Scott Niedermayer, who screened Osgood.
“I don’t know even where it went,” Osgood said.
Marchant carried the puck up the middle of ice, made a move to slip into open space in the left circle and let a shot fly. The goal came at 1:15 of the third OT.
The eighth-seeded Ducks headed home happy and ready to host Game 3 on Tuesday night.
The Red Wings will look back at Game 2 with regret, particularly when they wasted a rare power play in OT – midway through the first one – and outshot Anaheim 29-15 over the first two extra periods.
“There were chances to win the game,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “And we didn’t do it.”
Jonas Hiller had a lot to do with that.
Playing in his first NHL postseason and second year in the league, he made a career-high 59 saves.
“I’ve never gone to double overtime before,” the native of Switzerland said. “We have shootouts at home.
Hurricanes 3, Bruins 0: At Boston, Cam Ward’s second playoff shutout in four games and a rare misplay by Zdeno Chara gave Carolina a split of their first two games against the Bruins on Sunday night.
Ward turned aside 36 shots, and Chara’s bad pass led to Matt Cullen’s short-handed goal as the Hurricanes won 3-0 and headed home for Games 3 and 4 Wednesday and Friday nights.
Joe Corvo also scored, and Eric Staal added an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left.
Ward, the MVP of the 2006 playoffs won by Carolina, preserved his shutout with 6:37 left when Michael Ryder pounced on a loose puck in front of the net.
Ward flashed his left pad out to stop the shot then made a save after Dennis Wideman got the rebound.
The win was Carolina’s first of the season against Boston, which went 4-0 in the regular season, then won Friday night’s opener 4-1.
The Bruins are 3-0 in playoff series against the Hurricanes, including a 1999 win that was their last series victory before this year.