The Morning After: Blackhawks Sweep Sharks
By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 24, 2010 2:00PM
All aboard the Blackhawks bandwagon! The surging Blackhawks finished off the sweep of the top-seeded San Jose Sharks on Sunday, coming from behind to win 4-2 at the United Center to win the Western Conference Finals and head to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in almost two decades. While the 'Hawks took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series with their victory Friday night, it looked like the series was headed back to San Jose for a while Sunday afternoon as the Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Logan Couture put the Sharks on the board with a goal eleven minutes into the first period. Patrick Marleau added a power play score in the second. An official's review was needed before Brent Seabrook's 4-on-4 shot past Evgeni Nabokov was called a goal, cutting the deficit to a goal with 6:45 left in the second period. Five minutes later, Dave Bolland knotted the game at 2-2.
While the team added two scores, Duncan Keith lost seven teeth during the second thanks to a puck off the stick of Patrick Marleau. After team doctors numbed Keith's mouth, he returned to the game for the third period, which saw Dustin Byfuglien score a power play goal to put the Blackhawks ahead for good with 5:55 left in regulation. Big Buff's third game-winner kicked fans' dreams of a trip to the Cup finals into high gear. A late empty-netter capped the scoring at 4-2.
While Byfuglien was the star of the series, a number of guys made big contributions. Jonathan Toews extended his streak of games with at least one point to 13, assisting on Buff's third period goal on Sunday. Rookie goalie Antti Niemi had 16 saves yesterday and for the entire series stopped 129 of 136 shots on goal, allowing the Sharks to score just seven times in four games. Having collected the Campbell Cup, which captain Toews made sure not to touch, on Sunday, the Blackhawks now wait to find out their opponent. The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers face off in Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals tonight, with the Flyers holding a 3-1 series advantage. The Stanley Cup finals likely commence on Saturday (Games One and Two will be in Chicago regardless of who they play) and the 'Hawks can begin shooting for the hardware the team and city really wants.