Backes’ OT winner gives Blues a 1-0 series lead over Blackhawks

ST. LOUIS — It was tight, it was tense, it was fast, and it was physical. It was typical Blackhawks-Blues hockey. And if it was any indication, this first round series is going to be as tough and as entertaining as the one two years ago.

“There’s not a big difference playing against St. Louis and playing Tampa in the Final,” Niklas Hjalmarsson said after the Blues pulled out a 1-0 victory in overtime Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. “It’s like a Stanley Cup Final right away. St. Louis is one of the best teams in the league. We’re up for a big task here to get back on the winning track.”

Blues captain David Backes scored at 9:04 of overtime, his shot going in off of Trevor van Riemsdyk’s skate to cap the opening thriller. It was a huge win for the Blues, who had to take advantage of Duncan Keith’s absence. The Hawks will be back at full strength Friday night for Game 2, as a well-rested Keith returns from his six-game suspension.

And despite the loss, the Hawks held their own defensively without Keith. Hjalmarsson said it was the best road game the Hawks have played in “a long, long time.” So nobody in the Hawks room was too down after the loss. They outshot the Blues 35-18, holding them without a single shot on goal for more than 23 minutes in the third period and overtime. Other than a brilliant 35-save effort by Blues goalie Brian Elliott and an 0-for-5 night on the power play, the Hawks couldn’t complain about much.

“I thought we played pretty well,” said van Riemsdyk, who called the game-winner a “tough break.”

“It’s a tough game to come in and play, the first game of the playoffs in their building,” Jonathan Toews said. “I think we did a lot of good things. Unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted. We know it’s only going to get tougher, so we know we have to raise our game the next one. But I think for the most part it’s an effort we can build on. We’re not going to overreact in any way. We’ll be excited about being excited to play the next one.”

It was the fifth straight season that the Hawks went to overtime in their playoff opener.

The Blues did what the Blues do, throwing their weight around early and often. Backes caught Patrick Kane with a couple of hits early and Alex Pietrangelo nailed Kane late. Troy Brouwer leveled Marcus Kruger and Viktor Svedberg, and Robby Fabbri briefly knocked Michal Rozsival out of the game in the third period with a big hit. St. Louis out-hit the Hawks 41-24, a standard differential. But Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said his team needs to get that number into the 70s to win the series.

Meanwhile, the Hawks did what the Hawks do, trying to create time and space and scoring chances, but couldn’t solve Elliott, or capitalize on any of the five power plays the Blues handed them, including one just seven seconds into overtime.

The Hawks had a chance to pounce on the Blues early, as three straight St. Louis penalties gave them more than five straight minutes of power-play time, including 36 seconds of 5-on-3 play. But with Colton Parayko and the rest of the Blues blocking shots with reckless abandon, the Hawks couldn’t capitalize. The Blues were rewarded with a power play of their own afterward, but came up empty themselves.

Each team had its chances in the second, too. Toews kept the puck on a 2-on-1 with Patrick Kane and was stopped by Brian Elliott, then was denied on a breakaway a few shifts later. Marian Hossa had a spinning chance on the doorstep but couldn’t get it through Elliott, either. Jaden Schwartz had an open net to fire into, but couldn’t get the puck through traffic as the puck hit Toews’ skate and skittered harmlessly away.

Artemi Panarin had a good chance in the third, but Elliott got a piece of it.

Corey Crawford, a question mark entering the series after getting just one game in following a three-week recovery from a head injury, was sharp for the Hawks, making 17 saves.

The Hawks handled the hits. They kept their composure. They stifled the Blues offense. They did everything right.

They just couldn’t score.

“It was a great hockey game,” Crawford said. “We didn’t give them very many chances. It’s a tough way to lose.”

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

Twitter: @marklazerus