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Hawks are on to the Stanley Cup

Written by: EricC on 24th May 2010

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Western Conference Sweep of the San Jose Sharks have earned them a ticket to the Stanley Cup for the first time in 18 Years!! 1992 was the last year the Blackhawks made an appearance in the Finals, but they were unable to take down the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, they will go up against either the Philadelphia Flyers or the Montreal Canadiens, depending on who comes out of that series.

The game didn’t start out too well for the Blackhawks. Once again, for the third game of four, San Jose started off the scoring. However, a Short Handed goal by the Sharks in the second period put them up 2-0. That goal could have been a momentum killer for any opposing team, but the Hawks overcame it. In the 13th minute of the second period, Brent Seabrook snagged his third Post Season goal, with an assist going to Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Before the second period could come to an end, Dave Bolland, who has been very influential in this series, tied the score up at two a piece. With at least 20 minutes remaining in this game, both teams had an equal opportunity to walk away with the win. With under six minutes remaining in regulation, Dustin Byfuglien had, yet another, game winning goal. His eighth goal of the Post Season, Big Buff now leads the team in goals scored. In the final minute of play, Kris Versteeg put the cherry on top with an Unassisted Empty Netter.

Antti Niemi has had an amazing playoff run, and only has one series left! The young goalie only had 16 saves in this game, but every saves was crucial to the Hawks victory. He has earned a Goals Allowed Average under 2 in his last five games, giving up no more than two goals per game during this entire series against San Jose.

The Blackhawks can now take a short breather as they await the results of the Eastern Conference. Regardless of what team comes through, the Hawks will get Home Ice Advantage because they had more points than either team during the Regular Season.