Anaheim Ducks Drown Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 in Western Conference Finals Opener

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Mary Chastain

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

The game was a lot closer than the score shows. The Hawks hammered Frederik Andersen all 90 minutes, especially in the first period. They outshot the Ducks 16-7, but could not beat Andersen. Plus, the Hawks need to step up their power play. The team is fantastic except the power play. They received one when Corey Perry slashed Patrick Kane.

Who was the big star of the power play? Hint: Not the Hawks. The best play of the power play belonged to Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg shorthanded. Watch this gif. It is beautiful.

Thankfully for the Hawks goalie Corey Crawford’s skate took off the net, which stopped the puck from going in.

“EVERYTHING,” proclaimed Patrick Kane when Chris Kuc of The Chicago Tribune asked him what the team can do better on the power play.

That is an understatement and something fans have asked all season. They went 0-3 on the power play.

Kane almost had a chance, but Andersen’s stick caught the puck just enough to deflect it up and over the net.

It was Hampus Lindholm that put the Ducks up 1-0. At that time the Ducks only had five shots on goal.

It was all Ducks from then on. Kyle Palmieri scored four minutes into the second period, which deflated the Hawks.

The Hawks showed major frustration after the goal.

Brad Richards put the Hawks on the board with 40 seconds left in the period.

Ducks finished their domination in the third when Nate Thompson received the deflection off of Crawford’s pad. He tapped it under Crawford’s pad. It was one of he most delicate goals because it appears he barely touched it.

Anaheim slammed the casket shut when Silfverberg somehow put the puck in the empty net.

Crawford’s reaction is priceless.

”I think everyone in the locker room knows we can beat this team,” explained Andersen. ”It’s a good feeling that we showed it in Game 1. They’re going to come harder. We’ll have to play better in Game 2.”

It is hard to imagine Andersen playing better than he did. Game 2 is in Anaheim on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern on NBCSN.

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