The game began at a frantic pace, although the quality of the overall play was lacking. It took until the sixth minute for the first concrete scoring chance to emerge as Roby Jarventie got on the end of a cross-seam play, but Erik Källgren robbed him with a point-blank save.
Making his AHL debut for the Marlies, Alex Steeves was very noticeable in the first period. He showed a great burst of speed to win possession that created some offensive-zone pressure and led directly to two scoring chances. The rookie recorded four shots on goal through the first 20 minutes.