CHICAGO Here s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 2 1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at the United Center on Saturday.
How it happened Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick held off the Blackhawks for a period and a half before the Blackhawks offensive assault got to him. The Blackhawks scored consecutive goals within a four minute span in the second period to turn a 1 0 deficit into a 2 1 lead. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp scored the first goal off a rebound from a Johnny Oduya shot. Marian Hossa scored the second goal when he redirected a shot by Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks had 31 shots on goal through two periods and finished with 36. Quick made 34 saves.
The Kings' offense wasn t as consistent. The Kings had 22 shots on Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford who had 21 saves. The Kings were outshot 17 2 in the first period but one of the Kings two shots found the net. Justin Williams scored off a Blackhawks turnover and the Kings went ahead 1 0 at 14 23 of the first period. The Blackhawks had 18 takeaways.
Player of the game Sharp had a quiet regular season because of a shoulder injury but he s made up for it in a big way in the playoffs. He scored his NHL leading eighth goal of the playoffs.
What it means The Blackhawks took a 1 0 lead in the series. They improved to 7 1 at home during the playoffs and the Kings fell to 1 6 on the road. The Blackhawks penalty kill continued to key their playoff success. They have killed 42 of 43 penalties and are 23 for 23 at home in the playoffs.
What s next Neither team will have much time to make adjustments after Game 1. They ll be back on the ice for Game 2 at 7 p.m. on Sunday. It s the first time either team has had back to back games during this season s playoffs.
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