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Daniel Paille scores in Game 2 OT as Bruins even Stanley Cup Final vs. Blackhawks

Daniel Paille has been one of the Boston Bruins’ unsung heroes throughout the postseason, giving them strong minutes as a member of their checking line and a surprising amount of offense.

On Saturday night, he scored the most important goal of his season.

Paille’s tally at 13:48 of overtime gave the Bruins a 2-1 win and a 1-1 series tie with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. He earlier assisted on Chris Kelly’s goal.

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The Bruins had several strong chances in overtime, including Jaromir Jagr dinging off the post behind Crawford. (And his reaction was priceless.) They needed a break, and got one from Blackhawks forward Brandon Bollig.

The fourth liner coughed up the puck along the boards, and Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid took it away. He fed it to Tyler Seguin, who whipped a perfect pass to Paille – right in front of top Blackhawks defensive pairing Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook – who rocketed a shot over Corey Crawford’s glove for the win.

Patrick Sharp got the Blackhawks on the board at 11:22 of the first period, as a scramble in front of Rask led to a goal that floated through a Michal Handzus screen for the 1-0 lead. It was a period that saw the Blackhawks dominate: 30 shot attempts to the Bruins’ five.

The domination continued into the second period, but Boston slowly began to even the ice. After 19 shots in the first, the Blackhawks managed four in the second, despite two power plays. The Bruins had eight shots on Crawford, including their first goal: Chris Kelly, on a rebound that went through the legs of Patrick Kane, popped the puck home for a 1-1 game.

The game featured one bit of controversy, as a puck crossed the line under Rask’s pads at 12:32 of the first period thanks to a push by Marian Hossa. The play was ruled “no goal” as the referee had blown the play dead.

Game 3 is Monday night in Boston.

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