In a rematch of last season’s Western Conference final, the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings faced off yet again in the opening game of what looks to be a long, hard fought series to come.
The hometown faithful left the United Center all smiles Sunday night following a 3-1 Hawks win that saw goals from Brandon Saad, Duncan Keith, and Jonathan Toews. With the victory, the Hawks increased their home winning streak to seven games this postseason, as they have not lost at the United Center.
Chicago’s captain sealed the deal for his team late in the third period after an exceptional no-look pass courtesy of defenseman Johnny Oduya landed perfectly on Toews’ tape for a point-blank one-timer that sailed straight over Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick’s left shoulder and into the top right portion of the net.
WCF Game 1
Contrary to the type of tightly containing defensive style Los Angeles is known for playing, the Kings allowed the Blackhawks to dictate the pace of game one completely. Superstar forwards Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp ran rampant for the entire duration of the contest. They were unchallenged by opposing blue liners and given absolute free reign of the ice surface.
After being noticeably slowed down by the Minnesota Wild in round two, the Hawks were finally able to get back to playing the style of game that makes them most successful. They once again found the essential jump in their step that turns them into the most dangerous offensive team in the league. The amount of speed they were able to create against such a defense-oriented team like Los Angeles was incredibly impressive.
The only exception to this occurred after Jonathan Toews drove hard through the blue paint midway through the second period. Despite Kings defenseman Slava Voynov kicking the puck into his own net, Toews incidentally made enough contact with the sprawling Quick for referees to eventually waive off the supposed goal.
Aside from a slight momentum swing that resulted in a Tyler Toffoli redirect past Hawks net minder Corey Crawford shortly after, Chicago convincingly dominated the pace. They continuously pushed the Kings deeper and deeper into their own zone ultimately showing a desperate, puck-chasing side to their team that isn’t seen very often.
While it must have been a welcomed sight for his team to have so much room to work with, Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville doesn’t want that to be a recurring theme in the series.
“It wasn’t as restricted, but [the Kings] are a good off-the-rush team — they create rush chances themselves,” said Quenneville. “We have to respect that knowing that we don’t want to get into a complete rush game with them, knowing the quality is going to be higher-end for them.”
The quality will undoubtedly have to be better for Los Angeles if they hope to bring down the defending Stanley Cup champions. The likes of Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, and Jeff Carter along with Drew Doughty and captain Dustin Brown must find ways to break through the Hawks’ defensive core and keep their superstars off the score sheet.
Although, if Chicago’s top players continue to roam unrestricted throughout the series, that could spell trouble for the Kings regardless of how much more productive their own stars become.
It’s no secret that the easiest way to beat the Blackhawks is to consistently frustrate them, get in their faces, and keep their minds on extracurricular activities on the ice. It’s a fairly simple game plan but an extremely difficult one to execute as an opposing team.
Whether or not Darryl Sutter’s group has the ability to successfully carry that out remains to be seen. Game two at the “Madhouse” takes place on Wednesday night. The outcome of that contest will present a clearer picture in regards to the Kings’ capability to keep Chicago under control.
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