If you missed last week's 20x2 event, presented by SXSW and our pals at Gapers Block, you missed one hell of an amazing show featuring some of the city's most creative minds. One such example was this entry from participant and local director/animator/editor/photographer/badass Steve Delahoyde featuring the kids of Schadenfreude. more ›

The Blackhawks have downed the San Jose Sharks 4-2 in Game Four of the Western Conference finals to advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1992. Dustin Byfuglien scored the go-ahead goal with 5:55 left in the third period. While we don't know yet who the 'Hawks will play in the Stanley Cup Finals, Philly or Montreal, or when that will be, we do know the 'Hawks will host Games One and Two. Check back in tomorrow morning when Benjy's back with a full recap of today's game. more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks now have a commanding 3-0 lead over the San Jose Sharks in their Western Conference finals series after coming away with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory last night at the United Center. After a scoreless first period, the Sharks drew first blood on a power play goal early in the second period. But just moments later, Patrick Sharp answered with a power play goal of his own to tie the game up at 1-1. The game was tied 1-1 going into the second half of the third period when Dave Bolland put the 'Hawks up 2-1, scoring on a break-away. But San Jose would answer minutes later, tying the game at 2-2, which is how the game was when the clock hit zero, sending it to overtime. And at the 12:24 mark of overtime, Dustin Byfuglien netted the dramatic game-winner. more ›

The Blackhawks again denied San Jose on their home ice, cruising past the Sharks 4-2 and taking a 2-0 series lead as the Western Conference finals shifts to Chicago. While not as fast-paced and hectic as Game One, Game Two still had plenty of physical action for both squads. Andrew Ladd scored over halfway through the first to give the 'Hawks a quick 1-0 lead. A pair of tip-ins early in the second period would help them expand that lead: Dustin Byfuglien tipped in a shot from Patrick Kane and a minute and a half later, on a power play, Jonathan Toews would do the same off a Duncan Keith shot to give Chicago a commanding 3-0 lead. more ›

The Blackhawks got the Western Conference finals off to a good start in a wild, fast-paced Game One that the 'Hawks won 2-1. Betraying the large amount of time off each team had (the 'Hawks had four days off while the Sharks were off over a week), both teams came out firing, literally, as each topped 40 shots on goal (40 for the 'Hawks, 45 for the Sharks). After San Jose got a power-play goal halfway through the first, the 'Hawks responded with a second period goal from Patrick Sharp to equalize and with just under seven minutes left in the game, Dustin Byfuglien scored the game-winner for Chicago. But goaltender Antti Niemi was the real hero of Game One (or is that Antti-hero?), stopping a mind-blowing 44 shots out of 45 faced and helping the 'Hawks survive a last minute flurry in which a penalty resulted in a 6-on-4 advantage for San Jose in the closing minute. Niemi had several spells where he saved multiple shots from the San Jose offense in one go-round. more ›

We mentioned yesterday that the NHL had released information for Game One of the Blackhawks versus Sharks Western Conference Finals series and now the rest of the schedule is out. NBC and Versus have exclusive rights to this round, meaning there will be no local coverage. If your cable/satellite provider doesn't carry Versus or you don't have cable, be sure to plan accordingly. Without further ado: more ›

The NHL continues to play peek-a-boo with the conference finals schedule for some reason, refusing to release the full schedule until both series are set even though we've known for days now of the Blackhawks-Sharks match-up. And while we won't know the full schedule of the conference finals round until later today, we at least know when the series will start. The puck will drop on Game One of the Western Conference Finals Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Chicago time with the game being televised nationally on NBC. The Eastern Conference Finals, between the Montreal Canadiens and the winner of tonight's Boston-Philly Game Seven, will start Sunday evening at 6 p.m. on Versus. more ›

We should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The 'Hawks, second place overall in the Western Conference, jumped out to a big lead early on the first place San Jose Sharks but would have to go to overtime to earn the 4-3 victory. Chicago scored a trio of goals in a 3:21 span early in the first period to take a big 3-0 lead: Dustin Byfuglien got his 100th NHL career point with the first goal of the game, Troy Brouwer followed up less than a minute later, and Andrew Ladd netted his 10th goal of the season to round out the attack. But San Jose proved why they're one of the NHL's elite teams and fought back, scoring before the end of the first, once more in the second, and getting the equalizer early in the third, and Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov stopped 32 straight shots after allowing the early goals. But, despite the comeback, it was the 'Hawks night as Brouwer scored his second goal of the game 1:37 into overtime to give Chicago the win. Huet had 34 saves overall in net for the 'Hawks who remain in second place, one point back of San Jose in the Western Conference. Last night's meeting was the last of the season between the two teams. The 'Hawks are now 5-2 on the eight-game-Disney-on-Ice roadtrip and wrap it up Saturday night in Carolina (6 p.m., WGN). more ›

Knicks Hold Off Bulls more ›

The 'Hawks have several things to thankful for this morning as they continue on a big roll. First, last night's game saw the Blackhawks debut for their big off-season free agent signing, Marian Hossa, who missed the start to the season thanks to off-season shoulder surgery. And, second, the 'Hawks' winning streak reached eight games as they cruised past San Jose 7-2. Troy Brouwer got a late first period goal for an early 1-0 lead. But early in the second, the 'Hawks cracked the game wide open when Hossa and Patrick Sharp scored short-handed goals within 28 seconds of each other. Midway through the period, Dustin Byfuglien added a goal and the 'Hawks went into the second intermission up 4-0. more ›

Like their United Center roommates the Bulls, the Blackhawks are off on the annual Circus Trip (more on that from Benjy in a bit) on a winning note after edging the Sharks 4-3 in overtime last night. Brent Sopel scored a little more than four minutes in to give the 'Hawks an early 1-0 lead that the Sharks would even up before the end of the first period. San Jose would strike twice more within the first two minutes of the second period to jump out to a 3-1 lead. The 'Hawks held firm and got two second period goals of their own, first from Patrick Kane and then, in the closing minutes, from John Madden to send the game to the final period at a 3-3 tie. After a scoreless third, it was a goal from Brent Seabrook in the opening minute of overtime that clinched the Blackhawks victory, their seventh straight win at home. Huet was in goal once again for the 'Hawks, allowing the three goals but also making 20 saves in the winning effort. After playing four games at home in seven days, the team now has a few days off before opening their two-week road trip in Calgary on Thursday (8:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

After yesterday's beautiful diversion (which we can't stop rewatching), we're back to...this. I don't even know where to begin. British humor is weird. But fascinating. [via] more ›

In an offensive explosion of a game, the San Jose Sharks scored two unanswered third period goal to edge the Blackhawks 6-5 on Sunday night. The two teams exchanged goals in the first period to a 2-2 tie and the Sharks opened the second with two straight for a 4-2 lead. The Blackhawks struck back for three consecutive goals to take a 5-4 lead, but the Sharks got a pair of third period goals and San Jose goalie Brian Boucher stopped all eight Blackhawks shots in the third to hold on for the victory. Cristobal Huet started in goal stopped 25 of 31 shots in the loss. Kris Versteeg netted two goals for the 'Hawks while Campbell, Barker, and Kane contributed the other three. Said Campbell of a game when five goals isn't enough for a win, “It’s pretty frustrating. We’ve given away a couple of points in our last few games and we’re not happy about it. That was why tonight’s game was so important.” more ›

Thank you, mjkmjk, for somehow looking directly into our brains and making our worst nightmare come to life. At least it's not a clown... more ›

Adam Burish scored his first goal (pictured), but the Blackhawks still lost to the Sharks yesterday, ending both the Blackhawks' four-game winning streak and the Sharks' four-game losing streak. [AP] more ›

What do you get when you combine an elaborate set design, rock and roll magicians, acoustic custom poetry, and a melange of feel-good local bands? A whole lotta awesome, that's what. more ›

The EP, Bridget Quits, is a hectic 16 minutes of spirited rock that The Sharks will perform in its entirety tonight. The title as a nod to the band's former keyboardist, who remains an enthusiastic cheerleader in the crowd, though she is no longer on the stage. Bridget may have quit, but the unpretentious love of rock 'n' roll refuses to give out in this band. more ›

Or, since this will be an Oktoberfest-intensive installment, "Das Freitagsbüfett." Most of these are around the general vicinity of Lincoln Park, Lake View, and Wrigleyville. Things kick off this evening with St. Alphonsus' Sixth Annual Oktoberfest Chicago. Admission is $5, or free if you RSVP at going.com/oktoberfestchicago. First St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church hosts their Oktoberfest Saturday from 5-10 p.m. Cost is $20 ($15 for seniors, $10 for children under 12). St. Michael in Old... more ›

Alert: This post is not about Pitchfork. We know you are disappointed. Tonight's show at the Empty Bottle is designed to get us back into club mode — where we watch bands play on small stages in small venues and are able to tie their shoelaces or count their beads of sweat if we want to. To begin, we have Empty Bottle virgins The Sharks, who have been in the middle of quite an upswing... more ›

One of the most notable features of S.R. Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology is that its massive open space on the first floor can be manipulated to accommodate numerous activities -- sometimes all at once. This was all apparent at last night's event, "Mixing the Perfect Mies: Celebrating Mies van der Rohe's 121st Birthday," hosted by the Mies van der Rohe Society at IIT. When Chicagoist arrived, we walked right into a black and white ball, complete with jazz music and martinis and tiny quiches, but as we became more aware of our surroundings, we noticed that numerous due date-driven students were hard at work behind a series of portable, collapsible walls on either side of the centrally located affair. We immediately flashed back to our college days, where we were pros at procrastinating, always working very casually until the last minute when a project was due. We'd then pound a couple of Red Bulls and frantically do two weeks worth of work in one sitting. This image made us feel sorry for the students being taunted by the appetizer buffet and open bar that suddenly appeared in the middle of their work space. more ›

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. Ah, Houstonist. They're biking to work, that is, if they can figure out how to get there. That's right, Mapquest says "Houston had the... more ›