From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 5

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 5 looks at enforcer forward Brandon Bollig. 

Brandon Bollig was born on January 31st, 1987, in St. Charles, Missouri. He began his playing career in the United States Hockey League at the age of nineteen, playing with the Lincoln Stars in the 2005-2006 season. During the season, he recorded eight goals, eight assists, and 175 penalty minutes. Bollig remained in Lincoln for the next two seasons, and over those years he had twenty-nine goals, twenty-eight assists, and 418 penalty minutes in 115 games. Over all three seasons with the Stars, Bollig appeared in twenty-six postseason games, while potting four goals, dishing eight assists, and serving sixty-four penalty minutes. Bollig attended college after his three years with the Lincoln Stars, and played college hockey with St. Lawrence University. Between 2008 and 2010 at St. Lawrence, Bollig played in seventy-eight games, posting thirteen goals and twenty-five assists, as well as a toned-down penalty minute total of 134. On April 3rd, 2010, Bollig was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks, who then assigned him to the American Hockey League to play with the Rockford IceHogs. In three games to close out the season in Rockford, Bollig had a goal, an assist, and seven penalty minutes. Bollig played a full season with the IceHogs in 2010-2011, appearing in fifty-five games and scoring just four goals, while supplying 115 penalty minutes. Bollig also played most of the 2011-2012 season in Rockford, where he had three goals and six assists in fifty-three games, while being punished to the tune of 163 penalty minutes before being called up to the NHL to play with the Blackhawks after their trade of previous enforcer John Scott to the New York Rangers at the end of February. He did not record a point in eighteen regular season games, having only fifty-eight penalty minutes to his credit, but he appeared in four more postseason games, where he scored his first goal at the NHL level against the Phoenix Coyotes. Bollig was returned to the AHL for the beginning of the 2012-2013 campaign, as the NHL locked out the players, and in thirty-five games with Rockford, he had five goals, four assists, and 157 penalty minutes. Bollig then played twenty-five more games at the NHL level during the shortened season, going pointless but still posting a nasty fifty-one penalty minutes. He also made five postseason appearances, again without a point and this time only a minor, two-minute penalty during those games. Due to his playing in over half of the regular season games, Bollig will be able to have his name on the Stanley Cup after the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins to cap off the shortened season.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 4

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 4 takes a look at young forward Ben Smith. 

Ben Smith was born on July 11th, 1988, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was raised in Avon, Connecticut. Smith began his hockey career at Boston College, where he played for four years. In his freshman season of 2006-2007, Smith played in forty-two games, scoring eight goals and adding eight assists. During the next season, Smith blossomed into a higher-scoring player, recording twenty-five goals and twenty-five assists during his sophomore year. This led him to be drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He failed to match that success in his junior year, playing a career-low thirty-seven games with only six goals and eleven assists to his credit. Finally, in his senior season of 2009-2010, Smith rebounded to play in forty-two games while netting sixteen goals and supplying twenty-one assists. He then joined the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League for their playoffs in the same season, scoring one goal in three games. Smith spent a majority of the 2010-2011 season in Rockford, playing in sixty-three games and scoring nineteen goals and twelve assists. He also made six appearances in the NHL, where he had one goal. Smith had three goals during the seven games in the postseason for that season. He continued with the Blackhawks in 2011-2012, but struggled with only two goals in thirteen games, and still had yet to record an assist at the NHL level, so he was sent back to Rockford. There, he played in thirty-eight games, scoring fifteen goals and passing sixteen more assists. Smith stayed with the IceHogs in 2012-2013, playing in fifty-four games to the tune of twenty-seven goals and twenty assists. This earned him a return to the NHL after the lockout, but he was often a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks, scoring just one goal in one game. The Blackhawks did return to the playoffs, but Smith was still frequently watching the game from the press box. The one exception to this came in Game 3 against the Boston Bruins in Boston, when Marian Hossa was declared too injured to play and Smith was subbed into the lineup, skating on the second line. This appearance in the 2-0 loss at the time may not have meant much, but when the Blackhawks won the next three games straight, Smith had the honor of having his name automatically engraved onto the Stanley Cup as 2013 champion.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 3

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 3 takes a look at pesky forward Dan Carcillo. 

Dan "Carbomb" Carcillo was born on January 28th, 1985, in King City, Ontario, Canada. At the age of seventeen, Carcillo began playing junior hockey with the Milton Merchants of the Ontario Junior B league, posting fifteen goals and sixteen assists in forty-seven games during the 2001-2002 season. He also had 162 penalty minutes. Carcillo jumped into the spotlight more in his second season, playing in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting, where he potted twenty-nine goals and supplied thirty-seven assists in sixty-eight games, as well as 157 penalty minutes, during 2002-2003. His season culminated in a nomination to the Canadian World Junior squad in 2003, where he scored two goals and two assists in seven games, as well as adding a gritty thirty-three penalty minutes. Later that year, he was drafted in the third round, 73rd overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next season, Carcillo remained with the Sting, putting up thirty goals and twenty-nine assists in sixty-one games, in addition to 148 penalty minutes. During the 2004-2005 season, Carcillo played with the Sting in twelve games, with only two goals and seven assists to go with forty penalty minutes, before being traded to Mississauga IceDogs, where he recorded eight goals and ten assists while sitting seventy-five minutes in the penalty box. Carcillo officially joined the Penguins organization at the American Hockey League level with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, producing eleven goals, thirteen assists, and a massive 311 penalty minutes over fifty-one games. Carcillo also spent time in the ECHL, where in six games, he had three goals, two assists, and thirty-two penalty minutes. Carcillo spent the bulk of the the 2006-2007 season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, playing in fifty-two games with a surprising twenty-one goals, nine assists, and a usual hefty load of penalty minutes coming in at 183 for the season. On February 27th, 2007, Carcillo was traded with the Penguins' third round choice in the 2008 draft to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Georges Laraque. The Coyotes traded that pick in a separate deal to the New York Rangers, who selected Tomas Kundratek, most recently of the Washington Capitals. Carcillo closed out 2007 with the Coyotes in the NHL, playing in eighteen games while scoring four goals, three assists, and sitting in the sin bin for seventy-four minutes. Carcillo returned to the AHL in 2007-2008, playing in five games with the Coyotes' affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, with two goals and an assist to match with sixteen penalty minutes before returning to the NHL. There, he had thirteen goals and eleven assists in fifty-seven games, as well as a 324 penalty minutes. This established his reputation as primarily a pest with surprising offensive upside. Also during the season, Carcillo recorded his first hat trick, on April 4th, 2008. During 2008-2009, Carcillo made fifty-four appearances with the Coyotes, putting up only three goals and ten assists to go with 174 penalty minutes, before being traded on March 4th, 2009. The trade saw Carcillo headed to the Philadelphia Flyers (considered a good fit for his style of play) in exchange for Scottie Upshall and the Flyers' second round pick in 2011, used by the Coyotes on Lucas Lessio. In the final twenty games of the season, Carcillo had only four assists and eighty penalty minutes. The Flyers did make the Stanley Cup playoffs though, allowing Carcillo his first chance in the postseason, where he had a goal and an assist in five games during the first round exit by the Flyers. Carcillo had a much better season in 2009-2010, staying with the Flyers all year and playing in seventy-six games. He recorded twelve goals and ten assists, while serving 207 penalty minutes, and dishing out 194 hits in the first year of tracking for that statistic. Five of the penalty minutes Carcillo had occurred during the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, where he fought Shawn Thornton of the host Boston Bruins. The Flyers again returned to the playoffs that season, and Carcillo played in seventeen postseason games, with two goals, four assists, and thirty-four penalty minutes, although the Flyers fell short to the Chicago Blackhawks after the infamous Game 6 goal by Patrick Kane. Carcillo fell out of favor with the Flyers in 2010-2011, posting only four goals and two assists in fifty seven games, while also watching his penalty minutes and hits tumble to 127 and 80, respectively. During the offseason in 2011, Carcillo signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks at the opening of free agency. For the 2011-2012 season, Carcillo played in only twenty-eight games, with two goals, nine assists, eighty-two penalty minutes, and seventy-six hits to his credit. Interestingly enough, it was one of those hits that spelled the end of his season, as during a game against the Edmonton Oilers, Carcillo dished out a malicious hit on defenseman Tom Gilbert. Both players were injured, and Carcillo incurred a seven-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety. This was the least of his problems though, as his season was over when his injury was revealed as a torn ACL in his left leg. While sitting out, the Blackhawks resigned Carcillo for two years. With the help of the lockout, Carcillo was able to play for the Blackhawks in 23 games for the shortened 2013 season, posting two goals and an assist as well as a shockingly low eleven penalty minutes and thirty-seven hits. Most likely, Carcillo has changed his style of play to avoid becoming a repeat offender with the Department of Player Safety. During the playoffs, Carcillo was frequently a healthy scratch, playing in only four games, with just one assist. Nonetheless, he is considered a part of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks and can say that he has been on both ends of a Stanley Cup clinching game.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 2

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 2 looks at veteran forward Jamal Mayers' long quest for Lord Stanley's Cup. 

Jamal Mayers was born on October 24th, 1974, in Toronto, Ontario. His playing career began at age 16 with the Ontario Junior B league team in Markham, the Thunderbirds, where in 1990-1991 he put up twelve goals and twenty-four assists in forty-four games, as well as seventy-eight penalty minutes. The next season saw him at the Ontario Junior A league with the Thornhill Thunderbirds, where in fifty-six games he registered thirty-eight goals and sixty-seven assists as a star offensive forward. He left the Junior hockey system in 1992, electing to play college hockey at Western Michigan University from 1992 to 1996. During this time, he was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth round of the 1993 entry draft. At the end of his college career, Mayers joined the American Hockey League affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, the Worcester IceCats for the 1996-1997 season, and he recorded twelve goals and fourteen assists as well as 104 penalty minutes in sixty-two games. This season helped to establish his role as a gritty, third-line style player with occasional point production as well. He earned a call-up to the NHL at the end of the season, playing in six games while earning an assist. Mayers spent all of the 1997-1998 season at Worcester, and improved to nineteen goals and twenty-four assists in sixty-one games, while also sitting for 117 penalty minutes. The next year, Mayers produced sixteen points in twenty games with the IceCats, and then joined the Blues, recording four goals and five assists in thirty-four games, as well as forty penalty minutes. From 1999-2008, Mayers stayed with the Blues full-time, with the exception of the cancelled 2004-2005 season due to the lockout. During that time, he was generally good for around 8-10 goals, 10-12 assists, and 90-100 penalty minutes, except in 2002-2003, where he only played in fifteen games. Over these nine years, Mayers also represented Canada at the World Championships three times, with seven goals and four assists over twenty-five games in those tournaments. During the lockout in 2004, Mayers went to Sweden, playing in the second-tier league with Hammarby IF Stockholm and recording twenty-two points in nineteen games. He then returned to North America to finish the season with the Missouri River Otters in the UHL, posting seven points and sixty-eight penalty minutes in thirteen games. Also over the span of his time with the Blues, he appeared in Stanley Cup playoffs, playing in forty-eight games while accumulating thirteen points, but never reaching the Finals. Prior to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Mayers was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a third round selection, which was used on James Livingston. For the 2008-2009 season, Mayers played with the Maple Leafs in seventy-one games, with seven goals and nine assists to go with eighty-two penalty minutes. Mayers began 2009-2010 with the Maple Leafs as well, earning eight points in forty-four games, while racking up seventy-eight penalty minutes, before being included in the blockbuster trade that saw the Maple Leafs send Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White, and Mayers to the Calgary Flames for star defenseman Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Keith Aulie on January 31st, 2010. This trade has been considered one of the most lopsided trades in the last decade. Finishing out the season with the Flames, Mayers had one goal and five assists to go with fifty-three penalty minutes in twenty-seven games. On August 4th, 2010, Mayers signed with the San Jose Sharks for the upcoming season, and played in seventy-eight games during the season, scoring three goals and assisting on eleven others while posting 124 penalty minutes, his most since 2005-2006 with the Blues. In the postseason, Mayers appeared in twelve games and had only twelve penalty minutes to show for it. Mayers was not resigned by the Sharks in the offseason, and he later signed a one year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. In 2011-2012, Mayers potted six goals and nine assists in a career-high eighty-one games, while trimming his penalty minutes to ninety-one, as well as three more playoff games with no points or penalty minutes. The Blackhawks resigned Mayers for the lockout-shortened 2013 season, but he only appeared in nineteen games, managing just two assists and sixteen penalty minutes. Mayers made no postseason appearances in his fifteenth NHL season, watching from the press box as his teammates with the Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup. Since he did not meet the requirements for automatic inclusion on the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks will have to petition the league for approval to put his name on it. Regardless, Mayers was finally a part of a championship team for the first time in his long career. Mayers is also notable as one of the few black hockey players in the 1990s and 2000s, helping to promote hockey for all races.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 1

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 1 takes a look at third string goalie Henrik Karlsson.

Henrik Karlsson was born on November 27th, 1983 in Tumba, Sweden. He began playing in the Swedish U18 league in 2000 with Hammarby IF Stockholm, appearing in two games and surrendering seven goals. He advanced to the Swedish Junior league in the same organization, appearing in thirty-six games for Hammarby IF Stockholm from 2000-2002, allowing 153 goals while playing to a goals-against average in the mid-4 range, which is typically not considered strong. Between 2003 and 2004, Karlsson went to the third-tier league in the Swedish system, playing for his hometown team Botkyrka HC Tumba in 21 games, although statistics are unknown. He also had a shutout in one game for Olofstroms IK in the 2004-05 season. He was promoted to the second-tier Swedish league after that appearance, playing for IK Oskarshamn and making twelve appearances while surrendering twenty-eight goals. In 2006-2007, Karlsson returned to the Hammarby IF Stockholm system, playing for their tier-2 team in thirty-five games, posting a 3.52 GAA. In 2007-2008, Karlsson began the season with Hammarby, but was traded to the Malmo Redhawks late in the year. Between the two clubs, Karlsson maintained a 3.75 GAA over thirty-two appearances in goal. He improved in his first full season with the Redhawks in 2008-09, dropping his GAA to 2.45 with four shutouts in thirty-two games, before being promoted to Swedish Elitserien, the top level of Swedish hockey, with Sodertalje SK. In 15 games with Sodertalje, Karlsson allowed only thirty-three goals. He was on the move again for the 2009-2010 season, playing for Farjestads BK Karlstad in the Elitserien, making thirty-four appearance while allowing a 2.45 GAA. Karlsson then signed a one year contract with the Calgary Flames of the NHL after being traded from the San Jose Sharks. With a big-league role in mind, Karlsson was able to avoid the KHL of eastern Europe. During the 2010-2011 season, Karlsson made seventeen appearances, of which eleven were starts, and posted a 2.58 GAA with a 4-5-0 record and a .908 save percentage. His moderate success was not replicated in 2011-2012, and Karlsson struggled in his nine appearances for the Flames, to the tune of a 1-4-0 record and a 3.17 GAA during the season. He also appeared in four games for the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, with a 2.26 GAA and a 2-2-0 record. However, because of a midseason injury to his MCL and a lack of success, the Flames determined Karlsson was expendable, and at the end of the 2012-2013 lockout, Karlsson was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for a seventh round draft pick. Karlsson did not play in any games for Blackhawks during their Stanley Cup run, sitting at third on the depth chart behind Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, but he did play for their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

STANLEY CUP FINAL: 1) Chicago Blackhawks VS. 4) Boston Bruins

Welcome to the final post for the 2013 NHL season, covering the Stanley Cup final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins. This post will act as a reference for the entire series.

Game 1: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Tuukka Rask for Boston and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Boston led off in the first period with a Milan Lucic goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Nathan Horton and David Krejci. The Bruins added on as Lucic scored his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs in the second period, via Krejci. Chicago got on the board with a Brandon Saad goal, courtesy of Marian Hossa. Boston answered in the third period with a power play goal by Patrice Bergeron, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Tyler Seguin and Lucic. The Blackhawks got one back as Dave Bolland scored, passed from Andrew Shaw. Chicago tied it on a Johnny Oduya goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik. The Blackhawks won it 5-4 in the third overtime as Shaw potted his fifth of the postseason, courtesy of Bolland and Michal Rozsival. Shaw, Lucic, and Hossa received the three stars, while Bolland and Krejci got the honorable mentions. The Blackhawks take the early 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Tuukka Rask for Boston and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago was first to score in the first period, with the ninth of the postseason by Patrick Sharp, assisted by Patrick Kane and Michal Handzus. Boston tied it in the second period on a Chris Kelly goal, with a lone assist by Daniel Paille. The game went into overtime, and only part of one additional period was required for Paille to score the decisive 2-1 goal for the Bruins, his third of the playoffs, made possible by Tyler Seguin and Adam McQuaid. The three stars were handed to Paille, Rask (33 for 34 in saves), and Sharp. The series heads to Boston tied at 1.

Game 3: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Tuukka Rask for Boston. Boston got going in the second period as Daniel Paille scored his fourth of the postseason, courtesy of Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin. The Bruins added on as Patrice Bergeron scored his seventh of the playoffs, a power play goal powered by Jaromir Jagr and Zdeno Chara. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Bergeron, Rask (28 save shutout), and Paille. The Bruins take a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Tuukka Rask for Boston. Chicago opened in the first period on a shorthanded goal by Michal Handzus, his third of the postseason, set up by Brandon Saad. Boston tied it with a power play goal by Rich Peverley, his second of the playoffs, powered by Andrew Ference. The Blackhawks took the lead back in the second period on a Jonathan Toews goal, his second of the postseason, thanks to Michal Rozsival. Chicago extended the lead on a Patrick Kane goal, his seventh of the playoffs, fueled by Bryan Bickell and Rozsival. The Bruins pulled back with a Milan Lucic goal, his sixth of the postseason, helped along by Zdeno Chara. The Blackhawks answered on a Marcus Kruger goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Michael Frolik and Dave Bolland. Boston replied as Patrice Bergeron sank his eighth of the postseason, a power play goal with assists provided by Chara and Jaromir Jagr. The Bruins tied it in the third period as Bergeron scored his second of the game and ninth of the playoffs, with the help of Jagr. Chicago regained the lead as Patrick Sharp deposited his tenth of the postseason on the power play, courtesy of Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith. Boston retied it on a Johnny Boychuk goal, his sixth of the playoffs, with helpers from Nathan Horton and David Krejci. The Blackhawks won it 6-5 in overtime as Brent Seabrook scored his third of the postseason, with a lone assist by Bickell. Seabrook, Bergeron, and Kane got the three stars, while Bickell, Rozsival, Chara, and Jagr get the honorable mentions. The series shifts back to Chicago tied at 2.

Game 5: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Tuukka Rask for Boston and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago started in the first period with a Patrick Kane goal, his eighth of the postseason, coming off of Johnny Oduya and Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks added on in the second period as Kane struck again with his second of the game and ninth of the playoffs, thanks to Bryan Bickell and Toews. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Zdeno Chara goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Chicago iced it at 3-1 with a Dave Bolland empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, with a lone assist from Michael Frolik. The three stars went to Kane, Crawford (23 for 24 in saves), and Bickell, while Toews gets an honorable mention. The Blackhawks have pushed the Bruins to the edge, holding a 3-2 lead in the series.

Game 6: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Tuukka Rask for Boston. Boston began in the first period on a Chris Kelly goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Daniel Paille. Chicago tied it in the second period as Jonathan Toews scored his third of the playoffs, an unassisted goal. The Bruins took the lead back on a Milan Lucic goal in the third period, his seventh of the postseason, helped along by David Krejci. The Blackhawks tied it late with a Bryan Bickell goal, his ninth of the playoffs, courtesy of Toews and Duncan Keith. Chicago took the lead with a Dave Bolland goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger. This stood up for the final at 3-2, with the three stars going to Lucic, Keith, and Seguin. The Blackhawks are the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions, with the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP belonging to Patrick Kane.

As usual, I would like to give a "state-of-the-blog" address now that the NHL season is over. Starting July 1, 2013 will be a new series, entitled "From Cradle to Cup." This will focus on telling the stories of the Chicago Blackhawks that make up this team, much in the way that "How They Got Here" did with the San Francisco Giants last November. I will not pick up baseball this season, since it would be very time-consuming and I am trying to relax before heading out to college. At the conclusion of "From Cradle to Cup," I will take approximately a month and a half off to prepare for moving and getting settled at Washington State University. I have decided that I will continue blogging the KHL next season, which now stands at 28 teams after expansion. I will also continue with the NFL in September and NHL in October when both sports return. Most likely, I will not cover the 2014 Sochi Olympic Hockey tournament at all, as I will use the time to rest up. Additionally, in the next couple of weeks, I will start in earnest my new poetry blog, which can be found here. I would love feedback on all of the posts over there. Thank you all very much for making this lockout-shortened hockey season another spectacular run on my blog. Enjoy the new series tomorrow! Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Western Conference Final: 1) Chicago Blackhawks VS. 5) Los Angeles Kings

Welcome to the post for the Western Conference Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. This post will act as a reference for the entire series.

Game 1: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Jonathan Quick for Los Angeles and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Los Angeles opened in the first period with an unassisted goal by Justin Williams, his fifth of the postseason. Chicago tied it in the second period as Patrick Sharp scored his eighth of the playoffs, assisted by Johnny Oduya and Michal Handzus. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Marian Hossa goal, his sixth of the postseason, passed from Duncan Keith and Bryan Bickell. This was good for a 2-1 final score, with the three stars going to Sharp, Quick (34 for 36 in saves), and Hossa. The Blackhawks begin with a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Jonathan Quick for Los Angeles and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago started in the first period on an Andrew Shaw goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Viktor Stalberg and Brandon Saad. The Blackhawks added on as Brent Seabrook scored his second of the playoffs, via Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews. Chicago extended the lead with a second period power play goal by Bryan Bickell, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Patrick Sharp and Saad. The Blackhawks chased Quick on a Michal Handzus goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Sharp and Patrick Kane. Jonathan Bernier came on in relief of Quick. Los Angeles got on the board as Jeff Carter scored his sixth of the postseason, thanks to Tyler Toffoli and Slava Voynov. The Kings pulled closer in the third period with a Toffoli power play goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Dustin Penner and Voynov. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Sharp, Saad, and Crawford (29 for 31k in saves), while Toffoli and Voynov get the honorable mentions. The Blackhawks will head west with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Jonathan Quick for Los Angeles. Los Angeles was first to score in the first period as Justin Williams netted his sixth of the postseason, thanks to Slava Voynov and Rob Scuderi. The Kings added on in the second period as Voynov scored his fifth of the playoffs, coming off of Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter. Chicago got on the board on a Bryan Bickell goal, his seventh of the postseason, an unassisted goal. Los Angeles iced it at 3-1 in the third period with a Dwight King empty net goal, set up by Carter and Matt Greene. The three stars belonged to Voynov, Williams, and Carter. The Blackhawks still lead the series 2-1.

Game 4: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Jonathan Quick for Los Angeles. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with a Slava Voynov goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by Kyle Clifford and Colin Fraser. Chicago tied it on a Bryan Bickell goal, his eighth of the playoffs, guided in by Michael Frolik and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Kings took the lead back in the second period on a Dustin Penner goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli. The Blackhawks tied it as Patrick Kane deposited his third of the playoffs, with helpers provided by Bickell and Hjalmarsson. Chicago took the lead with a third period goal by Marian Hossa, his seventh of the postseason, set up by Michal Handzus and Johnny Oduya. This made it 3-2, which was the final, with the three stars handed to Hossa, Kane, and Penner, while Bickell and Hjalmarsson get the honorable mentions. The Blackhawks will return home with a 3-1 series lead. 

Game 5: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Jonathan Quick for Los Angeles and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago began in the first period with a Duncan Keith goal, his second of the postseason, via Michal Rozsival. The Blackhawks added on with a Patrick Kane goal, his fourth of the playoffs, coming off of Jonathan Toews and Bryan Bickell. Los Angeles got one back in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Dwight King, his second of the postseason, set up by Justin Williams and the goalie Quick. The Kings tied it in the third period on an Anze Kopitar goal, his third of the playoffs coming on the power play with assists provided by Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. Chicago took the lead back as Kane scored his second of the night and fifth of the postseason, thanks to Bickell. Los Angeles tied it with ten seconds left in regulation on a Richards goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Kopitar and Slava Voynov. The Blackhawks knocked the Kings out with Kane's third goal of the night and sixth of the postseason in the second overtime, guided in by Toews. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Kane, Keith, and Kopitar, while Richards, Toews, and Bickell get the honorable mentions. The Blackhawks advance to the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins after winning 4-1 in this series.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.