Part 2: Game 1
Andrew Shaw's deflection right in front of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask in a 3rd Overtime ensured the Chicago Blackhawks emerged from game one of this Original Six finale with an unlikely 4-3 victory.
As the Hawks' famous goal song, Chelsea Dagger, played out to the joy of the home crowd, there seemed to be an element of shock amid the wild celebrations. Indeed, anyone who watched this contest from start to finish would have found it difficult to envisage the Hawks getting anything from a game littered with Bruins opportunities.
With much of the pre-game hype centering around the form of Rask, it was Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford who sparked the first moment of brilliance in the first period, pulling off a stunning glove save to deny Brad Marchand, who had been set up after some selfless work in front by veteran Jaromir Jagr.
However, any momentum that Crawford gave Chicago was overwhelmed by a seemingly constant stream of Bruins pressure, and at 13:11 in the first, the road team were rewarded for their efforts. The move was started by some committed board work from David Krejci, who took a heavy hit from Niklas Hjalmarsson behind the net in order to squeeze the puck through to Nathan Horton. The former Florida Panther and third overall pick in the 2003 draft showed great hands to deftly direct Krejci's pass first time into the path of Milan Lucic, who made no mistake with half of the net beckoning.
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| Wrist Work: Milan Lucic loads the wrist shot that put the Bruins ahead |
The big Canadian forward was figured to be a key player in the Bruins' pursuit of their second Stanley Cup in three seasons, and he showed just why early in the second period, scoring his and Boston's second goal of the game. After battling along the side boards to win the puck in the neutral zone, Lucic drifted into the slot after Krejci emerged with the puck on the left. The latter's backhand pass was met with a forceful slap shot from Lucic, which was too hot for Crawford to keep out. The Blackhawks seemed to be showing an uncharacteristic lack of determination in these opening two periods, as Patrick Kane and Hjalmarsson both made bad reads on the play to allow Lucic time and space to fire home. However, take nothing away from the tenacious two-way hockey of the Boston winger, whose combination with Krejci looked increasingly dangerous.
An angry Joel Quenneville on the Blackhawk bench perhaps was motivation enough for the home team to step up their game, and rookie Brandon Saad's shot on the turn barely three minutes later cut the Bruins lead to one. Scoring multiple times each game on Tuukka Rask was foreseen to be a difficult task coming into the series, and despite the relief for Chicago as they opened their account here in the second, another goal to tie the game proved elusive. When Patrice Bergeron fired home at 6:09 in the third top shelf, the improbable began to seem impossible, and had it been any other team 3-1 down mid-way through the final period, I'd have rendered the game all but over.
But the 20,000 fans inside the United Center had watched their team fight back doggedly countless times throughout the season, and the Bruins themselves would have known that writing off Chicago's chances would be the most dangerous thing they could do to themselves. Whether or not an element of complacency set in is hard to tell, but clear frailties began to appear in the Boston game. Barely two minutes after Bergeron scored on the powerplay, Bruins defenseman Torey Krug opted to throw a dangerous pass across the ice from his own zone instead of using the open ice in front of him. Caught on a line change, the Bruins were outnumbered as Krug's pass was intercepted, setting up a three on two. Andrew Shaw waited patiently before sliding the puck across Rask's net to a grateful Dave Bolland, who finished clinically on the one timer.
Within two minutes, Boston had seen their comfortable lead stripped away and found themselves on the back foot. When Johnny Oduya fired home from the point at 12:14 via a deflection off Andrew Ference's skate, the momentum had completely shifted - this time it was Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger putting in a hard shift along the boards, before Kruger found Oduya after recovering the loose puck. Suddenly it was Chicago putting in the extra effort that they seemed to lack in the first period, and with another potential comeback on the horizon, an almost expectant feeling set in amongst the fans. They had seen their team come back from the brink in their series against the Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the playoffs, and this perhaps instilled further confidence into the supporters, who had witnessed their team being overrun by the Bruins early in the game.
However, just when the momentum seemed to be completely with Chicago, the unpredictable nature of the game arose again, as it was Boston who took the initiative as the game headed into overtime. As the fans increasingly got more hockey for their money as the game reached a third overtime, the question on everyone's lips was how the Bruins had not managed to score the winner. Tyler Seguin was unable to finish on the breakaway at the start of the second overtime period; Zdeno Chara saw his shot from the point ricochet of the inside of the post and slide right across the goal line; and Kaspars Daugavins failed to make contact with his backhand effort, having rounded the Hawks' goaltender.
The defending from Chicago was desperate. Dave Bolland saved a goal covering for Crawford on the line, while Marian Hossa was shaken up on a play in the first OT period, having blocked a Bruins shot on net. There was perhaps a sense of inevitability that the winner would go Chicago's way, having absorbed and survived wave after wave of Bruins pressure.
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| Shaw Thing: Andrew Shaw celebrates with Nick Leddy after redirecting the winner in Game 1 |
It was Andrew Shaw, creator of the Hawks' second goal, who provided the vital deflection to end the fifth longest game in Stanley Cup history and ensure that the 61st shot on net by Chicago was the one to give his team a 1-0 lead in the series.
Having been given such a high billing, the first game of the series lived up to expectations and more, becoming an instant classic. The shortened season due to the lockout was almost forgotten, as such a great game played out before the many viewers.
But the best thing about it? This was only the first game. With potentially six more contests to come, the series had already captivated fans across the world.
