ANAHEIM, Calif.- After all the hype around the star power in the Western Conference finals, it was a twice-drafted Danish goalie and a cast of role players that stole the spotlight in Game 1 of the series.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at Honda Center on Sunday afternoon to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven showdown.

Defenseman Hampus Lindholm and right winger Jakob Silfverberg each contributed a goal and an assist while right winger Kyle Palmieri and center Nate Thompson also lit the lamp for Anaheim.

Center Brad Richards scored for Chicago.

Meanwhile, Anaheim nearly had its first 2015 playoff game without a point from either center Ryan Getzlaf, right winger Corey Perry or center Ryan Kesler. Getzlaf got a late assist on an empty-net goal.

Similarly, Chicago saw its marquee players -- center Jonathan Toews and wingers Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp -- leave a total void on the score sheet.

"It makes a difference at this time of year when guys chip in and it feels good to help the team and get a big win," said Ducks left winger Andrew Cogliano.

Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen stopped 32 of 33 Blackhawks' shots while Chicago's Corey Crawford made 23 saves in defeat. Andersen's first-period save on Kane saw him challenge high in his crease then lunge over and narrowly clip the puck with his stick.

"I played aggressive and he was patient, trying to get me moving laterally," Andersen said. "I knew that I had to try and throw my stick over."

In the third period, Andersen made three stops in a 10-second span during one power play and then helped the penalty kill succeed again after Kesler took a minor. Those sequences jump-started the Ducks offense and swung the game.

"I think that was probably the turning point; we lost momentum in the game," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Cogliano had two solid scoring chances and then figured into the breakthrough goal, which came at 12:05 of the third period and gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead. His wrist shot leapt off Crawford's pad into the low slot, allowing Thompson to pop it into the net.

Silfverberg would seal the victory with an empty-net goal at 18:42. He now has 13 points, tying him for the second most in the playoffs with Getzlaf, Kane and Tampa Bay's Tyler Johnson.

Anaheim opened the scoring at 8:48 of the first period with a goal off the rush. Silfverberg turned the puck back to a trailing Lindholm, who blasted a slap shot past Crawford.

The Ducks' defensemen have produced more points than any other team in the playoffs.

Anaheim was unable to sustain possession, much less pressure, for most of the first period. They trailed 16-7 in shots on goal but led 1-0 at the first intermission.

Chicago continued to carry play, having the puck to themselves for the first 90 seconds of the second period. Yet they found themselves down 2-0 as Anaheim scored on its first trip into the Blackhawks' zone of the second period. A cycle play against tight checking led to Crawford kicking a loose puck into the slot where it was fired in by a diving Palmieri at 4:17.

"I think that was the difference in the game for them. Their bottom lines played well and got some key goals," Crawford said.

The Blackhawks halved the deficit with just 40 seconds left in the middle frame when Richards ambushed defenseman Francois Beauchemin as he backed up at his own blue line. Richards blocked Beauchemin's clearing attempt, collected the puck, pivoted toward the net and flicked a wrist shot that went in above Andersen's pad and below his blocker.

"I still don't think it was our 'A' game," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We were opportunistic, but we're going to have to play better if we want to continue to stay with these guys."

NOTES: Ducks RW Corey Perry (knee) returned to practice Friday and played Sunday. ... Anaheim inserted RW Emerson Etem and LW Jiri Sekac into the lineup to replace RW Tim Jackman and LW Tomas Fleischmann. ... C Chris Wagner (lower body) was available for the Ducks but did not dress. ... The Blackhawks continued to be without D Trevor van Riemsdyk (knee) and were also missing D Michal Rozsival (ankle). Rozsival was replaced by D David Rundblad, causing Chicago to shuffle its defensive pairings.