Morning Box Score: Hawks Season Ends in Overtime

By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 28, 2009 3:00PM

Well, it was a great run for the NHL's youngest squad but the Blackhawks' season came to an end Wednesday night. The 'Hawks didn't go down without a fight, but ultimately the Red Wings were too much for them in Game Five, beating the 'Hawks 2-1 in overtime and winning the series 4-1. Chicago, playing without Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin, gave Detriot a spirited fight for over 60 minutes with the two teams drawing to a 1-1 at the end of regulation. Neither team got on the board until the third period, when Detroit struck first when Dan Cleary knocked the puck into the net. A sweet backhand by Patrick Kane tied the game a few minutes later.

Both goalies put on quite a demonstration Wednesday night, with the Red Wings' Chris Osgood saving 30 of 31 shots against, while the Hawks Cristobal Huet redeemed himself after a horrible Game Four by stopped 44 of 46 shots against -- including all 21 in the first period. Huet also made an incredible stop with his leg in the waning seconds of the second period. Huet, however, was unable to stop Darren Helm's OT shot -- the game-winning goal came 3 minutes 58 seconds into the extra period and ended the Blackhawks' season.

Detroit moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals, where theylook to defend their title against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of last season's Cup Finals. The Blackhawks wrap up an incredible run through the playoffs and brought an excitement about hockey back to Chicago. We can all look forward to next season and the seasons beyond, as an exciting, young team seems poised to bring the Stanley Cup back to town sometime in the near future, even if not this year.