Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Notes: Controversy Surrounds Game-Winner

FanHouse's Chris Botta and A.J. Perez provide notes from Game 1 in Chicago.

-- Replays appear to show that Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen sent a the puck onto the Blackhawks bench about 20 seconds before Chicago's Tomas Kopecky scored the game-winner in the third period. The Flyers may have something to complain about about, but Braydon Coburn also failed to clear the puck on the same sequence. "If a puck hits player on the bench, it's supposed to be whistled down," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "Well, that's neither here nor there right now. They scored."

-- The five goals scored in the first period of Game 1 on Saturday were the most in the opening 20 minutes of a Final game since 1982, when the Islanders (three) and Canucks (two) combined for five goals in 1982 at the Nassau Coliseum.

-- The top lines of the Flyers and Blackhawks had an atypically rough night. Chicago's first unit of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien and the Flyers' No. 1 line of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne combined for no points and a minus-16.

-- Toews' 13-game point streak was snapped. Toews had set a franchise record for a single playoff year. surpassing the mark set by Stan Mikita (11 games) during the 1962 playoffs.

-- Teams winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final have won 77 percent of titles (54 of 70) since the inception of the best-of-seven format in 1939. The feat has been done three times in the last 10 years: Detroit (2002), Tampa Bay (2004) and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who dropped Game 1 in Detroit a year ago.

-- Game 1 was officiated by referees Bill McCreary and Dan O'Halloran and linesmen Greg Devorski and Pierre Racicot. McCreary is working his 15th career Stanley Cup Final, tying him with Bill Chadwick for second place all-time among referees. Former referee Andy Van Hellemond worked 19. McCreary made his Final debut in the 1994 series between Vancouver and the New York Rangers.

-- The Blackhawks are looking for their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, the Flyers their first since 1975. Each team has come up short in the Stanley Cup Final five times since its last championship: Chicago in 1962 (to Toronto), 1965, 1971 and 1973 (Montreal) and 1992 Pittsburgh; Philadelphia in 1976 (Montreal), 1980 (New York Islanders), 1985 and 1987 (Edmonton) and 1997 (Detroit).

Blackhawks lead series, 1-0
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