The Morning After: 'Hawks Move On
By Marcus Gilmer in News on May 12, 2010 3:00PM
Blackhawks Bust Canucks
The Blackhawks wrapped up their conference semifinal round against the Canucks, beating Vancouver 5-1 and for the second straight year defeating the Canucks to reach the conference finals. It was a low-scoring start as the teams played to a 0-0 tie at the first intermission, but the 'Hawks jumped on the Canucks scoring twice in 36 seconds in the opening minutes of the second: a Troy Brouwer tip-in and a Kris Versteeg goal got the 'Hawks rolling to a 2-0 lead. In the closing minutes of the second, Dave Bolland raced past a pair of Canucks for a short-handed goal to give the 'Hawks a 3-0 lead. Vancouver managed a goal early in the third, but Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien provided fireworks as once again the 'Hawks scored a pair of goals just seconds apart (35 seconds this time) to ice the game and the series. Antti Niemi was sharp in goal, stopping 29 of 30 shots he faced. Next up is a powerhouse conference finals against the number one seed San Jose Sharks. No schedule for the series has been announced since the Eastern Conference semis play on, but rest assured we'll be on top of it once it's announced.
After the jump, the Sox get a much-needed win while Cubs' struggles continue.
Sox Plead The Fifth, Trip Up Twins
Freddy Garcia pitched well and the Sox used a big fifth inning to trip up the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in their first game in the Twins' new home park. Garcia allowed just two runs over seven innings while scattering nine hits and earned his second win of the season. Offensively, the Sox got two-out, two-RBI doubles from Alexi Ramirez and A.J. Pierzynski in the fifth to give them all the offense they would need. But Andruw Jones completed the two-out rally with an RBI single to finish up the frame. The Sox wrap up the quickie two-game set this afternoon (12:10 p.m., CSN).
Cubs Falter Against Fish
For the seventh time in eight games, the Cubs couldn't score more than two runs and for the seventh time in eight games, they lost, this time falling to Florida 3-2. Randy Wells gave up three runs while striking out eight over eight innings but earned his second loss of the season. The Cubs only managed a run in the sixth and a run in the eighth while going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Even Lou is now at a loss for words: "I don't know what else to say, I'll be honest with you. ... One of these days, we'll start swinging the bats." The Cubs hope to start swinging the bats in time to avoid a sweep this afternoon (1:20 p.m., WGN).