PROVIDENCE — After 102 minutes of grueling, contested hockey, it ended in an instant.
Providence Bruins forward Seth Griffith gathered the puck near the Hartford Wolf Pack’s blue line, skated swiftly into the zone and unleashed a high wrist shot. The 47th shot on Hartford goalie Yann Danis hit the back of the net and the game was over — Bruins 2, Wolf Pack 1.
The second-longest game in franchise history ended with a thud for the visiting team Sunday night. The teams traded shots, hits and saves for more than four hours before Griffith ended it and gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
The Wolf Pack have lost the past two games and face a must-win game Tuesday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. If Hartford can even the series, Game 5 will be Friday night at the XL Center.
The longest game in franchise history was on May 5, 2004, when Ken Gernander scored at 7:49 of the third overtime to lift the Wolf Pack to a 4-3 victory over the Worcester IceCats in Game 4 of their playoff series. The Bruins had played just one triple-overtime game in franchise history.
Gernander, of course, is now the Wolf Pack coach. After watching his team fall, there was little to critique.
“There’s not a lot to complain about,” Gernander said. “We did a lot of things that we had stressed. … There was no quit in anybody. There has to be a lot of good things in a game of that nature.”
By the end of the second overtime Sunday, both teams were visibly tired. The skating was slow as the third overtime began, but Griffith found a burst of energy for his game-winning goal. He took the puck from Dylan McIlrath, skated up the right wing before curling to the center of the zone and sending the shot over Danis’ glove hand and just under the cross bar.
It was an impossible shot to stop.
“It’s such a tough because you’re in the middle of no-man’s land,” Danis said. “You’re trying to maybe anticipate a little bit where he’s going to go. I’ve to give him credit … he made the perfect shot.”
Said Gernander: “A great play.”
Each team had 47 shots. Danis and Providence goalie Malcolm Subban matched each other all night.
The first game of the series was a 3-1 Hartford victory that included an empty-net goal in the final seconds. The second game was a 2-1 Providence victory.
The third game was another even matchup. Although the Wolf Pack carried play in the first period, the Bruins surged in the second period and both teams had moments of controlling the play in the third period.
Hartford came out with energy early, outshooting Providence 7-1 through the first 14 minutes. The Wolf Pack took the lead at 10:33 when rookie defenseman Brady Skjei beat Subban with wrist shot from the point for a power play goal.
It was Skjei’s first professional point. The 2012 first-round draft pick signed with the Rangers organization on April 1 after completing his junior season with the University of Minnesota.
The Bruins put pressure on Danis in the second period, but the Wolf Pack limited the second chances and were poise to retain the lead heading into the second intermission. Hartford killed a penalty late in the period, limiting the Bruins to just one shot.
But with 5.9 seconds left in the period, Khokhlachev scored off a rebound of a Chris Breen shot. Danis left the rebound in the goal mouth and Khokhlachev knocked the puck into an empty net.
The Pack didn’t seem deflated in the third, playing a cautious period. The Bruins stormed the net and applied sporadic pressure, but Danis continually made saves. At the other end, the Wolf Pack were unable to force second chances against Subban.
Chris Mueller whistled a wrist shot off the post from the left circle late in the period. Later, Chris Bourque’s wrist shot was gloved by Subban.
The Bruins threatened to end it 4:15 into the first overtime period. David Pastrnak unleashed a shot from the left side that Danis stopped, but Joe Morrow pounced on the rebound. Danis, though, stopped Morrow’s shot.
Just under 10 minutes into the period, Providence forward Tyler Randell broke in alone and sent a shot over the net. But the puck bounced into the crease and slid under a scrum of players as Danis sprawled.
Somehow, the Wolf Pack prevented the puck from sliding behind Danis. There were more opportunities for the Bruins, who held a 11-4 shot advantage in the first overtime period.
In the second overtime, Hartford held a 10-0 shot advantage as the Wolf Pack stormed Subban. But the Providence goalie stopped Joey Crabb on an open shot early in the period and made a save on a wrist shot from the point by Mat Brodie.
Danis was just as good, stopping two bids by Ryan Spooner and later making a pad save on a slap shot by Ben Sexton from the left circle. With 54 seconds left in the period, Mueller got a quick shot off a faceoff and Subban made the save through traffic.
As the period ended, Oscar Lindberg stole a pass near the blue line and released a quick shot from the top of the left circle. Again, though, Subban made the save.
