The Panthers started the game off quite slow and were pinned in their own zone for quite some time. Lots of shots were peppered at Luongo early on, but nothing was too much for Bobby Lu. The Cats began to settle down and find their feet as the period moved along. Both teams exchanged some chances in the first, but nothing would break the deadlock.
Both sides headed into the locker room tied at zero after one. The first period ended pretty evenly despite the Panthers getting off to a slow start. Fortunately enough, as the game went on, the Cats were playing a better brand of hockey.