Blackhawks vs. Ducks: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

The Anaheim Ducks seized momentum Sunday with a 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Chicago Blackhawks, protecting their home ice at the Honda Center.

Even though the Blackhawks outshot the Ducks 16-7 in the opening period, it was Anaheim that got on the board first. Hampus Lindholm lit the lamp at the 8:48 mark to give the Ducks a big boost.

Lindholm's shot was quite a nifty one-timer that benefited from a screen in front, highlights courtesy of the NHL's official Twitter account:

Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen did extremely well not to let anything past him in the first 20 minutes. The mighty Patrick Kane had a golden opportunity to notch the first goal in the series, only to be denied on a sensational stick save by Andersen.

The NHL's official Twitter account had an appropriate reaction in providing footage of Andersen's bold stop:

Plays like the one above only fueled Anaheim to push the lead further, which it did in the second on right winger Kyle Palmieri's goal at 4:17.

Late in the second, with just 40 seconds remaining before the intermission, Brad Richards finally figured out the Andersen riddle and got one past the stellar netminder to cut Chicago's deficit in half.

Even though the game was tight entering the final period, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times noted how well the Ducks have been finishing from out in front:

Two early penalties in the third gave the Blackhawks plenty of leeway to notch the equalizer, but they couldn't convert. Then Nate Thompson found the back of the net with 7:55 left in the game to provide invaluable insurance.

Thompson tipped home a rebound past Corey Crawford after Andrew Cogliano's shot ricocheted right onto the doorstep in the slot for a hard-charging Thompson to put home. An empty-netter was added at 18:42 by Jakob Silfverberg to pile on the visitors.

Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times pointed out how tremendous Andersen has been in these playoffs:

There weren't many second-chance opportunities to be had for the Blackhawks, helping Andersen keep a mostly clean sheet and also serving as a testament to the strength of the Ducks' blue line.

Prior to the game, Crawford emphasized how his side couldn't get too comfortable, despite beating Anaheim two out of three times in the regular season, per NHL.com:

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We have good feelings against them, but you don't want to fall into getting complacent at all or you feel like because things have gone well that they'll automatically go well [again]. We'll have to battle hard and remember what it felt like in the last series to battle hard and be successful because of that and do the same thing.

"

CBS Chicago's Jay Zawaski had an appropriate reaction to Game 1 from a Blackhawks perspective:

But the following information from ESPN Stats & Info shows how this talented, tested and triumphant Chicago nucleus of players is in somewhat uncharted territory after Sunday's loss:

A second chance looms soon in Tuesday's Game 2 for the Blackhawks to get redemption before the action goes back to the Windy City. This is one they would do well to capitalize on.

Former NHL player Colby Armstrong believes the Ducks will be tough to beat moving forward:

The key for Chicago is to move on and not get too discouraged by Sunday's defeat. Andersen had to stand on his head for the most part, as the Blackhawks essentially controlled the flow of the game for the first two periods but appeared to let up when they were unsuccessful on the third-period power plays.

Andersen was the true star, stopping 32 of 33 shots he faced against the team he'd lost twice to in as many previous starts. Keeping that up will be a tall order, given the firepower Chicago's attack has, but the Ducks have to feel in control for now after extending their perfect home record this postseason to 6-0.