ROSEMONT, Ill. Marshon Lattimore Jersey . -- Even as two early power-play goals helped establish a 3-0 lead Toronto Marlies coach Steve Spott said he still felt uneasy Friday. He didnt need to worry. The Marlies never trailed on the way to a 5-2 American Hockey League playoff victory over the Chicago Wolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal. "Its a little bit scary. Youre up 3-0 and two of those goals came pretty early," Spott said. "It definitely didnt feel like a 3-0 game. We knew they were going to come at us, they did." The Marlies used two power-play goals to grab an the early advantage while goaltender Drew MacIntyre turned back 37 shots. "It was a 60-minute effort," Spott said. "All four lines played very hard tonight." Centre Trevor Smith opened the scoring with his first goal of the post-season, a power-play goal on a short backhand at 10:54 of the first period. Toronto converted another power-play chance at 14:55 as centre Peter Holland slipped a backhand over the glove of Wolves goaltender Jake Allen. The teams were at even strength in the second when Greg McKegg scored his second goal of the playoffs at 5:02 with a slapshot for a 3-0 lead. "Once they got up a couple of goals they (played) a little freer, they felt good about themselves and it took us a while to get back on track," said Chicago coach John Anderson. The Wolves got on the board five minutes later as Christian Hanson dumped a short rebound shot past MacIntyre. Chicago winger Michael Davies cut the deficit to 3-2 at 17:26, beating MacIntyre on a one-on-one. Toronto restored a two-goal lead at 3:53 of the third period. Winger Carter Ashton slipped while shooting but his wide, wobbly shot was deflected off Allens stick into the net. The Marlies closed out the Wolves on Sam Carricks fourth post-season goal at 17:19. "There were a couple of mistakes that cost us goals," Spott said. "We didnt get in the shot lane when we should have and had a bad line change in the second period. But beyond those two mistakes I thought we played a pretty thorough road game." Allen finished with 30 saves for Chicago. In two regular season meetings this season, seven-of-eight combined goals by the Wolves and Marlies came on power plays. The Marlies claimed a 3-2 overtime win at Chicago on Jan. 17 while the Wolves had a 2-1 triumph eight days later in Toronto. The series resumes Saturday in suburban Chicago then shifts to Torontos Ricoh Coliseum next Wednesday for at least two games, and three if necessary. The post-season series is the first between the teams since 2008. The Wolves went 4-1 on the way to their most recent Calder Cup. Aaron Brooks Jersey . Coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions. Malcom Brown Jersey . 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL. BEIJING -- Rafael Nadal will supplant Novak Djokovic atop the rankings after advancing to the final of the China Open on Saturday when Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic retired with a back injury. The Spaniard was a break up at 4-2 in the opening set of their semifinal when Berdych retired soon after taking an injury timeout. Nadal could face Djokovic on Sunday, as the Serb played Richard Gasquet of France in the other semifinal later Saturday. Nadal, who improved to 27-0 on hard courts this season, will return to the top ranking for the first time since July 2011. Djokovic has been No. 1 for 101 weeks. "The personal satisfaction is not because I am No. 1 today, its because (of) all the work (I put in) to be where I am today," Nadal said. "I dont feel (like) a better player now than five hours ago, and I wont go to bed tonight feeling that I am the best player in the world--thats something Ive never thought." In the womens draw, top-ranked Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia advanced to the final with contrasting wins. Zach Line Jersey. Serena earned a straight-forward 6-2, 6-2 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland while Jankovic rallied for a 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-1 win over Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. Nadal had been assured of reclaiming the top spot if he reached the final in Beijing or Djokovic failed to defend his title. Nadal, the reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion, has had a dominant year since returning in February from a seven-month layoff due to a left knee injury. He has won 10 titles and reached 12 finals overall, compiling an ATP Tour-best record of 65-3 on the season. He hasnt lost a match since falling in the opening round at Wimbledon to 135th-ranked Steve Darcis of Belgium in June, his only blip this year. "(This is) a great year, one of the best years of my career without any doubt," Nadal said. "Sure is special (to) be back to the top position of the rankings after more than a half year without playing tennis." ' ' '