ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Here's a quick look at the Anaheim Ducks’ 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at the Honda Center on Sunday:
How it happened: The Blackhawks won the possession game, but the Ducks won the overall game. The Blackhawks were the aggressors offensively and outshot the Ducks. The Ducks made their chances count. Hampus Lindholm buried a shot from near the blue line at 8:48 of the first period to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. That advantage was extended to 2-0 when Kyle Palmieri scored after a long stretch of possession in the second period. Blackhawks forward Brad Richards gave his team life when he stole the puck from defenseman Francois Beauchemin in the Ducks’ zone and scored with 38.6 seconds left in the second period. Nate Thompson put the Ducks ahead 3-1 when he scored off a rebound at 12:05 of the third period. Jakob Silfverberg added an empty-net goal in the third period. The Blackhawks were 0-for-3 on the power play and the Ducks were 0-for-1. Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen made 32 saves. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 23 saves.
What it means: The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the series and remained undefeated at home in the playoffs this season. The Ducks are 6-0 at the Honda Center. The Ducks forced the Blackhawks to play from behind, which was something the Blackhawks didn’t have to do in their second-round series against the Minnesota Wild. The Ducks will feel fortunate to get away with some mistakes in Game 1. They had a number of turnovers in the defensive and neutral zones that the Blackhawks weren’t able to capitalize on. Andrew Cogliano, Thompson and Palmieri gave the Ducks their best line of the game. Blackhawks defenseman David Rundblad's playoff debut didn't go all that smoothly. Rundblad, who replaced injured Michal Rozsival, was on the ice for two of the Ducks' goals. Rundblad and Kimmo Timonen each played less than 11 minutes.
Player of the game: Andersen held the opponent to two goals or fewer for the eighth time in this season's playoffs.
Stat of the game: The Blackhawks held a 21-shot attempt advantage (50-29) in 5-on-5 play through two periods.
What's next: The series remains in Anaheim for Game 2 on Tuesday.