The Blackhawks cruised to a 5-2 victory over Dallas and with the victory set a franchise record for most wins in a season (50) and tied the team record for most points in a season (107). Marian Hossa scored in the opening minute of the first period and Colin Fraser scored in the last minute of the first to give the 'Hawks a 2-0 lead. Jonathan Toews extended the lead to 3-0 with a short-handed goal in the second. Fraser scored again early in the third followed by Patrick Kane's goal at the halfway point. Antti Niemi was sharp in goal, stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced. The 'Hawks still trail San Jose for first place in the Western Conference by two points with three games to play over the next five days. If the playoffs started today, the 'Hawks' opponent would be...the Red Wings. The 'Hawks take the ice again tonight against St. Louis (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Once again, the Bulls had a lead they let get away. And while it wasn't the 35-point lead they blew to Sacremento, it was still a blown lead and another loss, their third straight, as they were edged by the Milwaukee Bucks 96-93. The Bulls played from behind for most of the first half only to grasp a lead in the second half. The Bulls' lead grew to as many as seven points in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks fought their way back as the Bulls missed some key shots and free throws, opening the door for an 18-5 run by the Bucks to take back the lead. Derrick Rose led the team with 25 points, Joakim Noah had 10 points and 18 rebounds, and Luol Deng scored 13. The Bulls try to snap their latest losing skid tonight in Minnesota (7 p.m., WGN). more ›

If there's one thing we're sure of, it's that the Bulls are glad to be done with the dreaded Circus Trip. Last night in Milwaukee, the Bulls fell to the Bucks in a tight game, 99-97, ending the annual road trip at 1-5 and mired in a five game losing streak (the team is 2-8 on the road overall this season). The Bulls spent most of the game playing catch-up - they trailed by as many as 14 points at one point in the third quarter - they managed to storm back and take a small lead in the fourth, setting the stage for a back-and-forth affair. But the team still fell just short (literally) as Brad Miller, who can't catch a break on buzzer-beaters, had a final shot hit the front of the rim, as the Bucks held on. John Salmons led all scorers with 23 points while Luol Deng scored 22 and pulled down 14 rebounds and Derrick Rose added 19; Joakim Noah added a 16-17 line. The road weary Bulls finally get to play on their home court again this Wednesday when they welcome in Detroit (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

Last night, the Bulls dug themselves a big hole early on by rallied in the second half to bounce the Bucks 83-81. The Bulls' offensive struggles of the past few games carried over into last night as they shot 27 percent, mustering an unsightly 29 points in the entire first half and found themselves down by 14 at the break. The Milwaukee lead grew to as much as 18 over halfway through the third, but then Chicago finally got things going, sparked by Jannero Pargo coming off the bench, kicking off a 12-0 run to close to gap to four by the end of the third; the team wound up scoring 45 points over the game's final 18 minutes. Luol Deng had the best performance for the struggling Bulls with 24 points and 20 rebounds; Joakim Noah had only four points but pulled down 12 rebounds and Derrick Rose, who started but played fewer minutes, scored 16. The Bulls get a night off and then head to Cleveland to take on LeBron and the Cavs tomorrow night (7 p.m., TNT). more ›

It was pretty exciting, even if it was a preseason game, as the Bulls edged the Milwaukee Bucks 87-86 last night at the United Center. The Bulls only dressed ten players as a variety of injuries kept five Bulls sidelined. Joakim Noah led the team with 20 points and pulled down an impressive 16 rebounds while Taj Gibson added 15 points and Kirk Hinrich scored 13. Up by six with two minutes to play, the Bulls let the Bucks pull even, but Jannero Pargo hit the go-ahead free throw with 24 seconds left and the Bucks couldn't get anything to fall in the waning moments of the game. The Bulls continue their preseason tonight in Minnesota tonight to take on the Timberwolves (7 p.m., CSN+). more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks gave fans their money's worth at last night's home opener, edging the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in a dramatic nine-round shoot-out win. The Blackhawks got on the board first thanks to a power play goal from Cam Barker. The Avalanche, however, bounced back in the second period with the next two goals to take a 2-1 edge. From there, the two teams exchanged goals as a total of five goals were scored in the second, ending with the teams tied at 3-3 (the 'Hawks got goals from Andrew Ladd and Duncan Keith). After a scoreless third period and overtime period, the teams moved to a shoot-out. The two teams extended the shoot-out to a ninth frame, the longest shoot-out in Blackhawks' history, when a goal by Andrew Ladd gave the 'Hawks a 4-3 shoot-out edge and a 4-3 win. Cristobal Huet stopped 16 of 19 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and came through with some key saves in the shoot-out, stopping 6 of 9 shots. The Blackhawks next welcome Calgary to town on Monday (7 p.m., VS). more ›

It was home sweet home for the Blackhawks last night as they made their return home from the annual Circus Trip and beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2. The win also stopped a three-game losing streak. Patrick Sharp gave the 'Hawks in early lead, scoring on a power play goal late in the first but Anaheim answered with two goals of their own in the second to take a 2-1 lead. The young Blackhawks team then showed what they're capable of, ripping of three goals in the game's final six minutes to grab a victory. Havlat, Toews, and Bolland all notched goals and Kris Versteeg had two assists in the third. Huet played a solid game in net, stopping 30 of 32 shot. After the game, Versteeg said, “This is a huge win. It’s good to come out on top against a team like Anaheim; it shows our character.” Chicago remains two points up on Nashville for second place in the division and travel to Detroit to take on the rival, first-place Red Wings on Saturday. more ›

Bulls Top Bucks In Opener more ›

Should Chicagoist be worried that the Bulls have opened their season 0-4 after dropping Tuesday night's game to the L.A. Clippers 97-91? Having watched three of their first four in their entirety, we can certainly say that the Bulls look nothing like a team who we'd predict to win 55 games and finish atop the Eastern Conference. Not only have they yet to enter the win column, but they're not even losing to elite teams.... more ›

McDonald's espresso for everyone! G-Rod proposing a new payroll tax. Two U of I football players caught stealing laptops. Ben Gordon drops 48 points on the Bucks, still not the game's top scorer. Speed skater Shani Davis breaks his own world record. Do you have State Farm auto insurance? You could be getting a $25 dividend on your policy. Pritzkers selling Presidential Towers. Was it the bed bugs? "Fire & Ice" via e.q.... more ›

It looks like 200-ish Starbucks locations in the Chicago area may have been a bit too much. For one reason or another (the company hasn’t given one yet) the coffee-slinging conglomerate announced the other day that it will be closing the 13 cafes it operates in local Jewel grocery stores. Seeing as how we will only peruse the cereal aisle with a double shot and piece of marble cake in hand, we’re not sure what this will mean to our grocery experience — we may have to start frequenting the Starbucks in our Jewel’s parking lot. more ›

Just a few weeks ago, a former Chicagoan asked us whether we knew what MJ was up to lately, because he hadn't seen or heard anything about him in quite a while. Even here in Chicago, he'd been keeping a pretty low profile since his retirement from the Washington Wizards in 2003. Yeah, there was that motorcycle racing thing, but that's about all we've heard in the past couple years. He tried to buy the Milwaukee Bucks in 2004, and I said I was pretty sure he was still plotting his return to the NBA as an owner. more ›