The Chicago Blackhawks peppered goalie Jonathan Quick with shots throughout the first period of Game 1 in the Western Conference Final, but it was the Los Angeles Kings who emerged with a 1-0 lead thanks to a fluke goal that bounced in off Justin Williams' skate.
Kings vs. Blackhawks Game 1 update: Chicago dominates, but Justin Williams fluke creates L.A. lead
The Hawks shot and shot and shot, but Quick saved and saved and saved.
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That “shot” was one of just two by the Kings in the first period, as the Hawks outshot them, 17-2.
Despite Quick shutting the door, the Kings will need more if they’re going to win just their second road victory in these playoffs. That said, the Hawks didn’t force many heroic saves from Quick. They’ll need to create more traffic to beat him.
Much has been made of the Kings' physicality throughout their four lines. In contrast, the Hawks tend to send their fourth line out for those activities while the stars move the puck and avoid the trench warfare. Kings captain Dustin Brown sent the first message to Hawks fourth-liner Bryan Bickell:
That was one of several big hits in the period as the teams sought to set a physical tone. Viktor Stalberg launched Jake Muzzin into the boards and got into it with Brown as the clock wound down.
Earlier in the period, the Hawks had an amusing stretch where consecutive players ran themselves aground while skating the puck around the Kings net.
The Chicago home fans cried for fouls each time, but a closer look revealed that Brandon Saad did it to himself:
Whoops.
And Kyle Clifford learned a powerful lesson about carrying the puck in hockey: You can't do it with your hand.
Clifford received a two-minute penalty on the play.
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