Blackhawks far from satisfied

CHICAGO -

It was difficult to tell who won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final when the teams returned to United Center one day later.

The Chicago Blackhawks were far from happy with their performance during a 6-5 victory while the Philadelphia Flyers had little trouble identifying positives in their game. In fact, Chicago felt a little like it had lost.

"We're really unsatisfied with the way we've started this series," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said Sunday. "Regardless of us being up 1-0, to us that means nothing. We can be much more desperate."

Down the hallway, there seemed to be a much better feeling in the Flyers locker-room. They entered this series as considerable underdogs in the eyes of many and were encouraged after scoring five times in a tough building.

"We proved we belonged with them," said Flyers forward Danny Briere.

The biggest question heading into Monday's Game 2 (CBC, 8 p.m. ET) is who will be in goal for the Flyers. Coach Peter Laviolette wouldn't tip his hand, choosing instead to keep any planned lineup changes quiet.

He replaced Michael Leighton with Brian Boucher after Leighton surrendered five goals on 20 shots in the opener.

Leighton will get the start again tonight. He had three shutouts against Montreal during the Eastern Conference final, including one that came directly on the heels of a 5-1 loss.

The 29-year-old journeyman reviewed tape with goalie coach Jeff Reese on Sunday morning and saw enough in his Game 1 performance to believe he warrants the start on Monday.

"I didn't let any really bad goals in," said Leighton. "That's the way I look at it. I didn't make some big saves, that's pretty much what it came down to. Every good scoring chance they had, they scored."

One thing both teams can agree on is that they'll have to play better defensively. Neither was happy with the number of mistakes that were made in a surprisingly open first game.

The Flyers, in particular, will be looking to do a better job of containing a Blackhawks team that is capable of scoring no matter who is on the ice.

"We've got to tighten up," said Flyers defenceman Matt Carle. "We can't run-and-gun with these guys. That doesn't bode well for us."

Some of the lesser-known depth players had the best performances in the series opener - Troy Brouwer and David Bolland for Chicago and Scott Hartnell for Philadelphia.

Amazingly, neither team's top line managed to get on the scoresheet in a game that featured 11 goals. Those six players were a combined minus-16.

Toews centres Chicago's top unit with Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien and says the group is anxious to atone for a bad night.

"There's no time to waste this time of year," he said. "This is the big show and you want to play your best hockey."

In many ways, the first game was an opportunity for two young teams to ease their way into the series and feel one another out. There weren't very many heated moments or signs of hatred.

"I thought it was going to be more nasty than that," said Bolland, the Blackhawks master agitator. "It was pretty calm. I don't know what happened."

Veteran Flyers defenceman Chris Pronger expects things to change now that both teams have gotten a taste of the Stanley Cup final.