Through the first period of Wednesday night's game, the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens are in a scoreless tie. The Blackhawks are hoping to bounce back from last night's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins with a win in front of the home crowd.
The first quarter was quite competitive despite Montreal's recent struggles, as the two teams got an identical number of shots on goal and failed to capitalize on those opportunities. There was only one penalty in the period, two minutes for hooking on Chicago's Viktor Stalberg, but Montreal was unable to take advantage of its power play.
Both goalies did a solid job in the first period, each making seven saves. Montreal's Peter Budaj has only made four starts for the Canadiens this season, with the team losing three of them, but he's hoping to keep his team afloat on the road. Corey Crawford, Chicago's goalie, would be looking for his first shutout of the season and the fifth of his career.
For more in-depth analysis and commentary on the Chicago Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for score updates, breaking news alerts and all matter Chicago sports related.