The Chicago Blackhawks won Game 1 of their Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Minnesota Wild.
The game got off to a scary start for the Wild as starting goalie Nicklas Backstrom was injured in warm-ups. In his stead, Josh Harding got the call. The Blackhawks were expected to dominate the Wild but the first period showcased both teams playing conservatively. Minnesota scored at the 4:48 mark when Cal Clutterbuck blasted a bad angle shot on the left wing past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford. Chicago was unable to control the pace throughout the period and saw Minnesota create the better scoring chances. Near the end of the period, Crawford made a tremendous save on a two-on-one. Down the other end, Harding made some good saves, including a glove save on Patrick Sharp wrist-shot. The two sides traded six shots a piece in the first period. The Blackhawks registered four giveaways, while Minnesota only turned the puck over twice.
The start of the second period was a different story for Chicago. The Blackhawks earned a powerplay 11 seconds in and scored off a Marian Hossa wrist shot; Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith earned the assists. However, the team was unable to generate a shot for several minutes after the goal and saw Minnesota settle into a defensive shell. The score remained tied at one after 40 minutes and the shots on goal favored Chicago 16-13.
The Blackhawks started the third on the offensive and took the first seven shots of the period. Minnesota's first shot came almost six minutes into the period when Pierre-Marc Bouchard rifled a slap shot from the right wing which Crawford kicked away. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews nearly broke the tie when he cruised down the left wing and cut to the net with two defenders on him; he shot the puck wide. The intensity of the match picked up as the game developed but after 60 minutes, the two sides remained tied.
Overtime was a wild affair with both teams trading chances. Eventually Bryan Bickell scored on a two-on -one break and gave Chicago a 1-0 series lead.
The teams meet once more on Friday, May 3.
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