Offsides and icing: Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final had a really slow start

Maybe it was because both teams hadn't played a game in nearly a week. Maybe they were still trying to get a feel for the style of their opponent. Either way, the first period of Game 1 was really, really sluggish.

NEWARK -- Maybe it was two teams not all that familiar with each other still going through the process of feeling each other out. Maybe it was the result of two teams that hadn't played a game in nearly a week. Maybe it was a little of both.

Either way, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final had a first period that could only be described as sluggish. Not much action and a lot of whistles. If you're for some reason a fan of watching players go offside and ice the puck, this was your period.

The two teams combined for just 10 shots on goal (five each for Los Angeles and New Jersey) and combined to attempt 20 shots (10 each for Los Angeles and New Jersey). That's not a lot. Even worse, they were whistled for a combined 10 offsides and guilty of eight icings.

The only real action was Colin Fraser's goal, and two missed opportunities by Devils forward David Clarkson. Other than that, the only excitement from the crowd was when former Devils great Ken Daneyko appeared on the scoreboard and urged them to make noise.

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