Ducks stay perfect on home ice, ride Andersen to Game 1 triumph over Blackhawks
The Anaheim Ducks used brilliant goaltending and opportune goal-scoring to survive the Chicago Blackhawks' surge and claim the first postseason contest between the two franchises, a 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.
Still perfect on home ice, Anaheim improved its overall record in the postseason to 9-1, but this win was captured by different means. The Ducks weren't necessarily the dominant team, seeing Chicago carry the shot attempts at a final tally of 70-53, and requiring their bottom-six forwards to come through offensively.
Hampus Lindholm, Kyle Palmieri and Nate Thompson beat a loose Corey Crawford before Jakob Silfverberg scored into an empty net.
Brad Richards collected the lone goal for the Blackhawks, who, in defeat, are now facing their first series deficit of the playoffs and had their five-game win streak (this, along with Patrick Kane's similar scoring surge) snapped.
Star Performer: That aforementioned brilliance in the crease was Frederik Andersen's doing. He stopped 32 shots, including an absolutely phenomenal denial on Kane (we'll get to that in a second), which allowed the Ducks to strike first and continue to build on that advantage.
Turning Point: This could be Andersen's stop on Kane (we promise, we'll get there), but the Ducks' second goal - off the stick of Palmieri - was a significant moment in the game and was a strong illustration that Chicago's bottom-pairing defense will have trouble in the series.
Goalie Comparison: Crawford wasn't terrible, but was more Nashville than Minnesota - in terms of his performance in the first two rounds. Andersen has now allowed just 19 goals in 10 games.
Top Highlight: Thanks for waiting. Andersen makes arguably the save of the playoffs, denying Kane with a spectacular stick save in desperation.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Stat of the game: They may have nine wins, but this was just the third in which the Ducks have led for the entire game.
Series at a glance:
Game 1: Ducks 4, Blackhawks 1
Game 2: Tuesday, May 19, 9 p.m. ET
Game 3: Thursday, May 21, 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: Saturday, May 23, 8 p.m. ET
Game 5*: Monday, May 25, 9 p.m. ET
Game 6*: Wednesday, May 27, 8 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Saturday, May 30, 8 p.m. ET
*If necessary