Blackhawks Outlast Bruins To Take Game 1 Of Stanley Cup Finals

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 13, 2013 2:00PM

It was fitting that Andrew Shaw scored the winning goal in the Blackhawks’ 4-3 triple overtime win against the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday night at the United Center. The winger’s pesky play epitomized Chicago’s effort in what ended up being the fifth-longest playoff game in Stanley Cup playoff history, and the winning goal was equal parts skill, determination and luck.

Shaw was in perfect position in front of the Bruins goal when Michal Rozsival picked up a loose puck and fired it toward Boston goalie Tuukka Rask. The puck deflected off the knee of Dave Bolland and Shaw’s skate before finding its way past Rask at 12:08 in the third period. After the game, Shaw told NBC Sports Pierre McGuire, on live television, the goal was “fucking unbelievable.”

Shaw’s sentiment can best describe the Blackhawks’ effort in Game 1. For the first 50 minutes of regulation Boston was the better team on the ice, scoring harder hits and keeping the Hawks off their game. The Bruins took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Milan Lucic before Brandon Saad cut the lead in half at the 3:08 mark of the second period. Boston extended the lead to 3-1 with a power play goal from Patrice Bergeron at the 6:09 mark of the third period.

The turning point of the game occurred nearly two minutes later when Bruins rookie Torey Krug attempted a clearing pass to the middle of the ice instead of to the boards. The pass was intercepted by Shaw, who passed it to Bolland for a goal. Suddenly the Blackhawks had momentum and tied the game four minutes later when a shot by Johnny Oduya deflected off the skate of Boston defenseman Andrew Ference and past Rask.

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford took over in the overtime periods, stopping 29 of the 51 shots he saved after regulation. Crawford could not be rattled in overtime as the Blackhawks opted to play a soft zone, which led to several open look opportunities for Boston. Crawford stymied a 2-on-1 break by Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille, and a Zdeno Chara slap shot hit Jaromir Jagr and slid past the right goalpost as the second overtime came to an end. Crawford, as he has throughout the Blackhawks’ playoff run, responded admirably when his team needed him the most

But the Blackhawks didn’t outplay the Bruins as much as they outlasted them. The power play was nonexistent once again and they put Crawford on the defensive in the overtime, being whistled twice for having too many men on the ice. Still, a win is a win and the Bruins tried to say all the right things about being ready for Game 2. “There's certain things you're going to want to fix for next game,” Bruin coach Claude Julien said. “But as far as the game is concerned, it was a hard-fought game."

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville saved his highest praise after the game for Shaw. "He knows where the front of net is. Doesn't have to be pretty. He's a warrior. He's one of those guys that you appreciate he's on your side and he's relentless."

The Blackhawks have time to regroup for Game 2 Saturday. At this point, the power play will remain an ongoing concern and they need to find ways to spread out the ice when they find themselves with a man advantage, never mind the 5-on-3 they failed to capitalize on last night. The Hawks’ stars need to show up after Boston’s marquee players outplayed them in Game 1.