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The Blackhawks after defeating the Kings. Chicago will play Boston in the first finals matchup of Original Six teams since 1979. Credit Jim Young/Reuters

CHICAGO — Three minutes into Saturday night’s game, Duncan Keith found himself with room inside the Los Angeles Kings’ blue line and fired a slap shot. When it slipped between the legs of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, Keith, who had been suspended for the previous game because of a high stick to the face of Jeff Carter, pumped his fists and let loose a scream so powerful that his mouth guard flew out like a projectile.

Keith and his Blackhawks teammates would eventually celebrate a win, but only after the Kings mounted a stirring comeback and turned what had looked to be a sure Chicago win into a playoff classic.

Patrick Kane scored his third goal of the night 11 minutes 40 seconds into the second overtime — a one-timer off a pass from Jonathan Toews on a two-on-one rush — to give Chicago a 4-3 victory and send the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup finals.

Chicago will host the Boston Bruins in Game 1 on Wednesday night at United Center.

“It’s nice to win first and foremost, but to contribute the last couple games, I think any player would be lying to you if he said it isn’t nice,” Kane said.

Saturday’s game went to overtime after the Kings’ Mike Richards deflected a shot from Anze Kopitar past goaltender Corey Crawford with less than 10 seconds to play in regulation. Richards, playing for the first time since having concussion symptoms after Game 1 of the series, saved the Kings’ season just as it appeared to have surely slipped away. Kane had scored with 3:52 left in a frantic third period.

“I honestly don’t think there’s a worse feeling in hockey when you’re nine seconds away,” Toews said. “You know you have to get the puck out, and two little bounces go against you and next think you know it’s in the net. Your heart sinks pretty quick.”

Before the puck dropped, Blackhawks players referred to Saturday’s Game 5 as essentially a Game 7. Fuzzy math aside, the reasoning was that allowing the Kings, the defending champions, a spark — even in a series they trailed by three games to one — could produce a full-blown fire.

True to that mind-set, the Blackhawks came out as the aggressors. Two minutes after Keith opened the scoring, Kane collected a rebound in front of the Kings’ net and beat Quick top shelf to give Chicago a 2-0 lead and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

The Kings did not record their first shot until 10:42 into the first period, by which point the Blackhawks already had seven. But the Blackhawks let their foot off the gas, and Los Angeles broke through to cut the lead in half with a short-handed goal by Dwight King at 9:28 of the second period.

After Bryan Bickell went to the penalty box for boarding early in the third, Crawford could not smother a shot from Carter, and Kopitar stuffed the rebound home to tie the game at 2-2.

The Blackhawks’ advice to themselves would prove sage in the end. As the teams skated back and forth in overtime, the crowd hanging on every pass, every rush and every shot, the night did have the unmistakable feel of a Game 7 — even if only one team faced elimination.

When the longest game in the Kings’ history was finally over, Quick had stopped 31 of 35 shots. Crawford saved 33 of the 36 attempts he faced.

Chicago was tested by the Detroit Red Wings in a grueling seven-game series in the conference semifinals, at one point trailing by three games to one. Despite their league-best 77 points during the regular season, the Blackhawks entered the series against the Kings considered underdogs by some, faced with the task of solving Quick, the reigning most valuable player of the playoffs.

But the Blackhawks proved equal to the challenge, even chasing Quick during a 4-2 Game 2 win. The Kings had allowed more than two goals in just 2 of 13 playoff games entering the series. The Blackhawks scored three or more in three of the five games, eliminating the Kings in rather economical fashion.

“Coming back from that deficit against Detroit gives us a lot of confidence,” Toews said. “We have a great chance to go back to where we want to be, and there’s going to be some more tough moments and we’ll have to battle through it.”

Now Chicago will turn its attention to Boston. The Bruins swept away the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins and their high-powered offense Friday. The showdown will feature two Original Six franchises and two teams firing on all cylinders.

The Blackhawks have another distinction: they will attempt to become the first Presidents’ Trophy winner to raise the Stanley Cup since Detroit in 2007-8.

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