With the home crowd behind them and revenge for a 2012 playoff sweep on their minds, the St. Louis Blues controlled play for most of the opening period of Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, ending the first period with a 1-0 lead. They outshot the Kings 14-6 on the period.
Blues vs. Kings Game 1: St. Louis leads Los Angeles after first period, 1-0
The St. Louis Blues came out hitting and shooting and hitting some more, but entered intermission with just a 1-0 lead.
Dilip Vishwanat
The action was testy, befitting the excitement of a Game 1 and two teams that like to play physical. Blues winger David Perron and Jonathan Quick drew coincidental roughing minors, which opened up the ice for 4-on-4 play.
Then the Kings took a penalty for too many men on the ice, and Alexander Steen opened scoring on the ensuing power play.
It's safe to say Blues winger Ryan Reaves was excited for the battle between fourth lines. He took a hard run at Jordan Nolan on his first shift and had two more hits just seconds apart during his second shift, as he knocked Nolan and then Brad Richardson on their seats:
All told, Reaves registered four hits on four shifts, and it’s a good bet his targets on the Kings will be looking for him in the second period.
The Kings had a great chance to tie it during a power play in the closing seconds, but the goal post and some scrambling by Brian Elliott kept the puck out until time expired. The Kings will start the second period with 34 seconds left on that power play.
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