The Chicago Blackhawks extended their winning streak to four games with a 2-1 Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. Joel Quenneville‘s hot Blackhawks club dominated in every aspect of the game, outshooting their opponents 36-22, though Jonathan Quick‘s 34 saves kept the Kings in striking distance throughout.
The Blackhawks dominated possession from the outset, picking up 13 of the first 14 shots on goal. Despite L.A.’s lackluster performance in the opening period, they managed to get on the scoreboard first.
On a fairly routine defensive play, Chicago’s Dave Bolland attempted to clear the puck out of the zone, but traffic in front of the net thwarted his plan. Justin Williams, who has now scored the Kings last three goals including a pair in the Game 7 victory over the Sharks, was the lucky beneficiary. The puck took a wild deflection off of Williams and past a stunned Corey Crawford.
Despite the goal, the Los Angeles Kings failed to find any momentum. They would fail to test Crawford for the remainder of the period, ending the first frame outshot by a ridiculous 17-2 margin.
Chicago’s endless assault on Jonathan Quick finally paid off 12 and half minutes into the middle period. After receiving a drop pass from Patrick Sharp near the left point, Johnny Oduya blasted one off of Quick’s left pad, producing a juicy rebound. Having set up Oduya for the original shot, Sharp drove hard to the net and finished off the rebound to tie the game at one.
In the hunt to pick up his second consecutive Conn Smythe Trophy, Quick has been nearly unbeatable this postseason with his lightning fast movement in the crease. Nonetheless the Blackhawks found a few tricks to beat him, working rebounds and deflections.
The go-ahead goal came on just such a deflection, with Marian Hossa taking the credit. Four minutes after tying the game, a Duncan Keith rocket took a huge change of direction off of Hossa’s stick in front, leaving Quick helpless as his team fell behind.
The Kings finally managed to outshoot the Blackhawks in the third, but they were unable to stump Corey Crawford who is quietly excelling in the Chicago net. He may never get the same recognition as Quick, but the young netminder has been enormous for the Blackhawks so far and he is certainly prepared for the goaltending duel that this series promises to become.
Excelling in all aspects of the game over the past few days, the Blackhawks are once again looking like the team that won the President’s Trophy. They played a dominant brand of hockey on Saturday, but Jonathan Quick’s unmatched ability will likely keep the series up for grabs.
The Kings have earned their place in the Conference Finals by dominating on home ice, where they are unbeaten so far in the postseason. That said, three home wins in this series won’t be enough to keep their Cup defense alive. Eventually the Kings will have to win on the road for the first time since May 8 in St. Louis. They will have another chance tonight at the Madhouse on Madison. but another loss could put Darryl Sutter‘s team in a deep hole.
The likes of Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown will have to improve if they hope to even the series.
