ANAHEIM — Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen lunged forward and stretched out his stick, taking a desperate chance to stop Patrick Kane. The Chicago right wing’s shot somehow glanced off Andersen’s lumber and flew over an open net.
Andersen kept Anaheim in the Western Conference finals opener while his teammates got rolling. When they did, the Ducks streaked to an early series lead.
Hampus Lindholm, Nate Thompson and Jakob Silfverberg each had a goal and an assist, and the Ducks beat the Blackhawks 4-1 in Game 1 on Sunday.
Andersen made 32 saves and Kyle Palmieri also scored as Anaheim opened its first conference finals in eight years by improving to 9-1 in this year’s playoffs.