Wolves strike early, often

Scoring the fastest goal to start a game in the team's playoff history proved to be a good omen for the Chicago Wolves on Sunday at Allstate Arena.

It took just 25 seconds for the Wolves to score -- and they never looked back en route to a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Marlies to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven Calder Cup Western Conference finals.

After recording a hat trick in Game 1 on Friday, center Jason Krog picked up where he left off two days later.

Joel Kwiatkowski's back-hand pass from the right wing past the crease led to an easy goal for Krog just 25 seconds into the contest.

Things didn't get any better for Marlies goalie Scott Clemmensen when Krog took a short pass from Joe Motzko and blasted a slap shot from directly in front of the net for a 2-0 lead just 3:08 into the game.

On a 5-on-3 advantage, Kwiatkowski nailed a slap shot from the left wing, assisted by Darren Haydar and Krog, good for a 3-0 lead with 13:09 left in the first.

"When you score 2 or 3 goals in the first five minutes it's pretty hard to come back," said Krog, who has 9 postseason goals. "The guys on my line are making great plays and they're getting me the puck in spots where I should score."

While goalie Ondrej Pavelec played flawlessly, the Wolves' outstanding offensive play continued late in the second period.

Brian Sipotz hit Bryan Little with a high-lofting pass, and Little's shot deflected over Clemmensen's head. Little followed home his own rebound for an easy goal and a 4-0 lead with 6:09 left in the period.

Then with 2:10 left in the second period, Joey Crabb put one home from right on Toronto's doorstep to finish off the scoring.

"We got a few breaks early and we caught them on their heels a little," said Wolves coach John Anderson. "I know Toronto is going to come out stronger at home (Tuesday), and we have to be prepared for the onslaught."

One of the Marlies' best scoring opportunities came on the power play with 6:05 remaining in the opening period. But Toronto left-winger Bates Battaglia missed a golden opportunity as he could not control the puck just to the left of the Wolves' goal.

Pavelec also came up with a one-armed save to preserve the shutout 1:07 into the second period.

"The second game of the series is very important and we have a huge game Tuesday in Toronto," Pavelec said. "I just have to stay focused for the full 60 minutes and I will be fine."