Backes, Thornton were making sure beards were 'glued on well'

Following his beard-pulling battle with San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton during Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, David Backes gave an entertaining explanation as to what happened during the first period.

Related: Backes, Thornton engage in beard tug of war​

"Just seeing whose is real and making sure that they were glued on well," the St. Louis Blues captain joked, per NHL.com's Lou Korac. "It seemed like both checked out and we moved on with life."

In the end, Backes said this is all part of what will be a tough, competitive series.

"We love the competition and get the emotions running high," he continued. "Both guys are trying to establish themselves in this series and here's a couple big bodies going at it and you love that competition."

After the Blues went on to take the series opener 2-1, Thornton and his beard will look for revenge in Game 2 on Tuesday.