ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen lunged forward and stretched out his stick, taking a desperate chance to stop the Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. Kane’s shot somehow glanced off Andersen’s stick and flew over an open net.
Andersen kept Anaheim in the Western Conference finals opener until his teammates got rolling. When they did, the Ducks streaked to yet another 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 the Ducks opened their first conference finals in eight years by improving to 9-1 in this season’s Stanley Cup playoffs.