The Blackhawks have a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup finals, and they have their goaltender to thank.

Antti Niemi made 32 saves Monday night to backstop the Hawks to a 2-1 victory at the United Center, but that stat doesn't tell the whole story. Niemi basically stood on his head the entire third period, stopping 14 of the 15 shots he saw over the final 20 minutes.

The Hawks scored their two goals 28 seconds apart in the second period. Marian Hossa finally found the back of the net on a rebound chance at 17:09. On the next shift, Ben Eager beat Philadelphia goalie Michael Leighton with a wicked wrister to put the Hawks ahead 2-0 going into the third period.

The Flyers threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Hawks in the third period, and frankly, the Hawks didn't respond well. They got back on their heels, they had trouble clearing their own zone and their passing left a lot to be desired. Philadelphia outshot the Hawks 15-4 in the third period (33-26 for the game), and that figure was indicative of the play.

But Niemi just wasn't going to let the Hawks lose. He made big save after big save, and right now, it feels like the Hawks have a different hero every night. Eager hadn't scored a goal the whole playoffs. Who would have figured he'd net the game-winner in Game 2?

The Hawks still don't have any goals from their top line through two games, but they still have a 2-0 series lead because others have stepped forward.

On the road, though, I do think the Hawks will need some offense from Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in order to win. Those guys are due now in the same way Hossa was due coming into this series. We'll see what happens as the series shifts to Philadelphia.

Game 3 is Wednesday night.

The witching hour is fast approaching for White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski. The veteran will attain his 10-and-5 rights on June 14. From that day forward, the Sox won't be able to trade Pierzynski without his permission.

The question becomes, will the Sox pull the trigger on a deal before June 14? The team has a nine-game homestand starting Tuesday, with Texas, Cleveland and Detroit coming to town. If the Sox do poorly in these nine games, I won't be the least bit surprised if Sox GM Kenny Williams makes a move with Pierzynski before the 10-and-5 rights kick in.

There's just one problem: Tyler Flowers, the heir apparent to Pierzynski, couldn't hit water if he fell out of a freakin' boat right now.

Thanks to a 22-28 start to the season, many Sox fans are clamoring for a youth movement. My advice is to be careful what you wish for. A lot of these kids in the Sox organization don't look like long-term answers for anything.

Let's examine what's going on with Flowers. When he was traded to the Sox organization, he was regarded as a terrific hitting prospect who had questionable (at best) skills behind the plate. While Flowers' defense has improved, his offense is in the toilet. Apparently, the Sox GM and major-league coaching staff (see Walker, Greg) asked the youngster to make some adjustments to his swing.

The result? Flowers is hitting .207 for Triple-A Charlotte. He hit .115 in May. Over his last 10 games, he's 2 for 39 with 17 strikeouts. LOL, he'll fit right in on the big-league club. You know what I always say about Sox youngsters and hitting coach Greg Walker: "Walk'll ruin him."

It sounds like Flowers has had just about enough of this. He's going back to his old ways.

"At the point where I've tried doing it their way this last month, sadly enough the numbers speak for themselves, and that way doesn't totally work," Flowers told MLB.com's Scott Merkin. "I have to go back to the old me. I have to go back to my style of hitting, while implementing the little things Walk and Kenny talked about."

That's the politically correct thing to say. I hope Flowers ignores everything Walker and Williams have ever told him. His career might depend on it.

Did anyone expect Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals to end with a 6-5 score? Certainly not me. The seesaw affair bounced the Blackhawks' way Saturday, as they took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven championship series with the Philadelphia Flyers.

What a back-and-forth game: Philadelphia scored first. Then, the Hawks came back with two goals to go up 2-1. The Flyers answered with two goals to take a 3-2 lead to the first intermission. The Hawks tied it early in the second. Then, Philadelphia went up 4-3. The Hawks came back to go up 5-4. The Flyers scored late in the second to make it 5-5. Finally, Hawks winger Tomas Kopecky (pictured) scored at 8:25 of the third period to give the Hawks the deciding goal. Phew. Did you catch all that?

I stated in my series preview that I thought secondary scoring would be key. It's not always the top lines that decide the outcome. In fact, the top lines for both the Hawks and Flyers were subpar in every way in this Game 1.

For the Hawks, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien were all held off the scoresheet and posted a collective minus-9 rating. The Flyers' top unit of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne also failed to score and were a collective minus-7.

Both teams got great play out of their second lines. For the Hawks, Patrick Sharp, Troy Brouwer and Marian Hossa accounted for three goals. Brouwer scored twice, both goals coming on sweet passes from Hossa, who again played brilliantly despite not scoring a goal. Sharp also scored.

The Flyers No. 2 line was pretty damn good, too, with Danny Briere (1 goal, 3 assists) enjoying a four-point night and Scott Hartnell adding a goal and two assists.

The difference turned out to be the Hawks' third line, which has been so good in all three zones throughout these playoffs. Dave Bolland, Kris Versteeg and Kopecky each finished with a goal and an assist. Bolland was plus-3. Versteeg and Kopecky were both plus-2.

The normal left wing on that third line, Andrew Ladd, missed Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. Kopecky stepped in despite not having played since Game 5 of the Vancouver series and provided one of the biggest Hawk goals of the playoffs.

All in all, I'd say the week-long wait for this series to start was worth it. What a great night of hockey. I'm looking forward to Game 2, which will be played Monday night at the United Center. We'll see if the Hawks can protect home ice one more time.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake recently accused Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly of cheating for winding up several inches in front of the rubber during Thursday's 1-0 Cubs victory.

Did Lilly cheat? Who cares? What's really interesting is Cubs manager Lou Piniella's response to a reporter's question on the matter.

"I don't know," said Lou. "I haven't looked at the film. I'm just going to pass on that question. I wouldn't think any of our pitchers cheated. I have to defend them. At the same time, I saw the film and there was a little hole on the mound."

Hey, Lou! Did you look at the film or did you not? Geez...

Doesn't it feel like it's been a month since the Blackhawks last played? OK, so it's only been five days, but the hype surrounding the Stanley Cup finals has been out of control. I'm tired of hearing about these teams and ready to see them start playing.

Finally, the Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers will drop the puck for Game 1 Saturday night at the United Center. It seems like a lot of Hawk fans are certain of victory in this series. I would describe myself as confident, but not overconfident. If the Hawks play up to their capabilities, I like their chances.

But Philadelphia is not to be underestimated. Like the Hawks, the Flyers have three lines that can score. Like the Hawks, the Flyers have seven players with 10 points or more in the postseason. Like the Hawks, the Flyers have a team captain (Mike Richards) who plays his best in big games and makes others around him better.

Hey, it's the Stanley Cup finals. Winning is not supposed to be easy, and it won't be easy for either side. As fans, we should expect a tough, gritty series.

A lot has been made of Philadelphia's vicious No. 1 defenseman, Chris Pronger, matching up with hulking Hawks winger Dustin Byfuglien in front of the net. No doubt the Flyers will try to get Pronger on the ice against Chicago's No. 1 line featuring Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Byfuglien.

But the thing I'll be watching for is whether Hawks' winger Marian Hossa (pictured) can get things going offensively on the second line. Hossa, playing in his third consecutive Cup finals, has played a GREAT all-around game in these playoffs. His defensive play, his backchecking, his penalty-killing -- it's all been outstanding. However, he only has two goals in the entire playoffs. He's getting chances, but the damn puck just won't go in for him.

I figure Hossa is about due, and if he can score some goals, it would be a big boost for the Hawks. The Flyers rely heavily on four defensemen, so getting secondary scoring and wearing down the Philadelphia defense are two keys for the Hawks in this series. Even if Pronger manages to silence Chicago's top line, the Hawks can still win this thing if Hossa and linemates Patrick Sharp and Troy Brouwer are firing on all cylinders.

As per usual, here's all the numbers associated with this series:

Schedule
Game 1: Saturday at Chicago, 7 p.m. (NBC)
Game 2: Monday at Chicago, 7 p.m. (NBC)
Game 3: Wednesday at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Versus)
Game 4: June 4 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Versus)
Game 5: June 6 at Chicago, 7 p.m. (NBC)*
Game 6: June 9 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (NBC)*
Game 7: June 11 at Chicago, 7 p.m. (NBC)*
*if necessary

Goaltenders:
Hawks: Antti Niemi 12-4, 2.33 GAA, .920 save percentage
Philadelphia: Michael Leighton 6-1, 1.45 GAA, .950 save percentage

Leading scorers
Hawks: Jonathan Toews 7 goals, 19 assists, 26 points, +4; Patrick Kane 7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points, +2; Patrick Sharp 7 goals, 9 assists, 16 points, +3; Marian Hossa 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points, +8; Dustin Byfuglien 8 goals, 2 assists, 10 points, -3.
Philadelphia: Mike Richards 6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points, +6; Danny Briere 9 goals, 9 assists, 18 points, +4; Claude Giroux 8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points, +10; Chris Pronger 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points, +2; Ville Leino 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points, +4.

Top defensemen
Hawks: Duncan Keith 1 goal, 9 assists, 10 points, +3; Brent Seabrook 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points, +8; Niklas Hjalmarsson 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points, +6; Brian Campbell 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, +6.
Philadelphia: Pronger (see stats above); Matt Carle 0 goals, 10 assists, 10 points, +8; Kimmo Timonen 0 goals, 8 assists, 8 points, +6; Braydon Coburn 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, +7.

Special teams
Hawks: Power play 22.6 percent (5th in playoffs); Penalty killing 86.6 percent (3rd in playoffs).
Philadelphia: Power play 20.7 percent (8th in playoffs); Penalty killing 87.0 percent (2nd in playoffs)

Season series (Philadelphia won 1-0, home team in caps):
March 13: PHILADELPHIA 3, Hawks 2

At last, we're ready for some hockey. Let's enjoy this series!

I attended 19 White Sox games during the 2009 season. The Sox won only six of them, and I thought my season sucked.

As it turns out, I've got nothing on Stephen Krupin, a 28-year-old who attended 19 Washington Nationals games last season. His attendance record: 0-19.

Sports Illustrated updated Krupin's plight in its May 31 issue. Looks like things have gotten a little better for him this year. Krupin attended Opening Day and saw his Nationals lose 11-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies, extending his losing streak to 20.

But he finally got a win on May 6 when the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2. Since then, he's seen two more wins and a loss, placing his 2010 attendance record at 3-2. Not too shabby.

My attendance record at U.S. Cellular Field so far this season is 5-3. That's also not too shabby, especially when you consider the White Sox are 20-27 through their first 47 games. Maybe luck is starting to change for both me and Krupin.

Kudos go out to Yahoo! Sports baseball writer Jeff Passan, who referred to Major League umpire Joe West as "an attention whore of Lady Gaga proportions" in this Thursday column.

Passan reports that MLB plans to either fine or suspend West after the veteran umpire solicited reporters this week to talk about the controversy he stirred up in April when he criticized the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for playing excessively long games.

West drew the ire of White Sox fans Wednesday by calling two balks in two innings on left-hander Mark Buehrle during the South Siders' 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians. West made a borderline balk call on Buehrle in the second inning of that game, leading to the ejection of Sox manager Ozzie Guillen (pictured). In the third inning, West decided to stick it to Buehrle and the Sox by making a phantom balk call. The frustrated Buehrle dropped his glove to the ground in disbelief and was immediately tossed from the game.

Again, full marks to Passan for pulling no punches in his criticism of West's mishandling of the Buehrle situation. As you might expect, Guillen ripped West with a profanity-laced tirade after the game. West isn't the first guy to incur the wrath of Guillen, but you never hear Mark Buehrle say a bad word about anybody. As Passan points out, the fact that Buehrle ripped West in the papers is quite telling.

"I think he's too worried about promoting his (country music) CD," Buehrle said, "and I think he likes seeing his name in the papers a little bit too much instead of worrying about the rules."

In other words, he's an attention whore of Lady Gaga proportions. He just doesn't have quite the musical talent of Lady Gaga, though. I've heard some of West's songs, and like most country music, it is terrible. I'm not a big fan of Lady Gaga either, but hey, just about anything beats Joe West.

West's umpiring skills are also terrible. Prior to Wednesday, Buehrle had been called for one balk in three years. Then, all of a sudden, he balks twice in two innings? That's BS, plain and simple. The best umpires in the game are the ones you never hear anything about. Unfortunately, you hear about Joe West all the time. He makes bad calls. He makes outlandish comments in the papers. He picks fights with players and managers. Why the hell does an umpire need his own publicist anyway? The bottom line is West is a lousy ump and baseball would be better off without him.

In the meantime, I guess I'll settle for MLB either fining or suspending West. At least that's something.

The folks out in DeKalb are pretty excited about college football season this year, and rightfully so. Northern Illinois has 16 starters returning and should challenge for a Mid-American Conference championship in 2010.

I received a press release from NIU today stating that the Huskies are ranked No. 49 in The Sporting News preseason top 100. NIU is the highest ranked MAC team on the list.

My first reaction to seeing this list: Why are they including 100 teams in a preseason list? Aren't there only 117 college football teams in Division I-A? Making this list is not particularly exclusive, but in any case, it's interesting to look at.

I noted that Illinois is ranked No. 94, barely enough to rate. Not good at all, but hardly surprising. I'm expecting a really rough football season for the Fighting Illini. Among Big Ten schools, only Minnesota (No. 98) is regarded as being crappier than Illinois coming into the season by SN's football guys.

Looking at the Illinois schedule, we see the Illini are set to host Northern Illinois on Sept. 18. Memo to Huskies fans: Don't get too excited when your team beats Illinois by two touchdowns in Champaign. I can't emphasize this enough -- ILLINOIS SUCKS AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS SHOULD WIN EASILY.

I know Illinois is in the Big Ten and Northern Illinois is in the MAC. But there's absolutely no question in my mind the superior football program resides in DeKalb. As a matter of fact, if Illinois wins on Sept. 18, it's an upset. That's how far Illini football has fallen under Ron Zook's "leadership." They won't even be favored to win at home against a MAC school.

Not much going on tonight, but here's a good read from Yahoo! Sports on White Sox reliever Sergio Santos.

When I saw Santos pitch on television during spring training, I figured the Sox would keep him on the 25-man roster. I also figured he'd have his ups and downs. Well, it's May 25, and Santos hasn't had too many "downs." In fact, he's been the Sox best reliever, allowing only one run on 10 hits over 17 1/3 innings.

That's an amazing start for a guy who has only been pitching for 13 months. Will it last? Who knows? But so far, Santos has been a bright light in a miserable first two months of the baseball season.

Vizquel ponders retirement

In other Sox news, reserve infielder Omar Vizquel is thinking about hanging 'em up after this year. From what I've seen, that would be a smart move by Vizquel, 43. The 22-year-veteran is batting .200 in 14 games with the Sox this season, and he hasn't looked good offensively. Sometimes, it's difficult to watch a formerly good player struggle mightily at the end of a nice career.

Hawks' Ladd expected to return for Cup Finals

Blackhawks winger Andrew Ladd reportedly has a shoulder injury of some sort that kept him out of practice Tuesday. Ladd played only four shifts in Sunday's series-clincher against San Jose, but he is expected to be ready for the Stanley Cup Finals, which open Saturday night at the United Center.

For the time being, Tomas Kopecky is skating on left wing with Ladd's usual linemates, Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg.

No more WIND nonsense

All the Blackhawks-Flyers games will air on WGN radio. The Cubs are stepping aside and allowing their games to air on WIND radio during the Stanley Cup Finals. Normally, the Hawks are the ones who air on WIND when the two teams are playing at the same time.

Jackson to Bulls? Nope

Surprise, surprise, Phil Jackson doesn't want to come back to coach the Bulls. In other news, the sky is blue and the sun is hot. I'm surprised that rumor had any legs at all, frankly.

I'm off Wednesday, be back on Thursday. We'll have more on the Stanley Cup Finals at the end of the week.

In my Western Conference finals series preview, I stated the Blackhawks should have an advantage in depth against the San Jose Sharks. Boy, did they ever.

The Hawks completed a four-game series sweep with a 4-2 win at the United Center Sunday. Looking back, I see two key factors that defined this series. First off, Hawks goalie Antti Niemi was better than San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Secondly, the Hawks are just a far more balanced team. They get scoring from a lot more sources, and all you have to do to realize that is look at the goal breakdown from this series.

The Hawks outscored the Sharks 13-7 over the four games, and here's how the scoring was divided up:

Blackhawks
First line: 5 goals (Byfuglien 4, Toews)
Second line: 3 goals (Sharp 2, Brouwer)
Third line: 4 goals (Bolland 2, Versteeg, Ladd)
Fourth line: 0 goals
Defense: 1 goal (Seabrook)

Sharks
First line: 5 goals (Marleau 5)
Second line: 0 goals
Third line: 1 goal (Couture)
Fourth line: 0 goals
Defense: 1 goal (Demers)

Neither Patrick Kane nor Marian Hossa scored a single goal in this series, yet the Hawks still swept. That shows the depth and balance this Chicago team has.

As for the Sharks, they got nothing from Joe Thornton. Nothing from Dany Heatley. Nothing from Joel Pavelski. Nothing from anybody, really, except Patrick Marleau.

When San Jose's big guns didn't fire, there wasn't anybody on their third or fourth lines capable of picking up any scoring whatsoever. Meanwhile, the Hawks got four goals from their third line. That's a big reason why the Hawks advanced.

Next up for the Hawks, either Philadelphia or Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals. The Flyers lead that series 3-1. Game 5 is in progress now. We'll keep an eye on that as the night goes on.

UPDATE: Flyers beat Montreal 4-2 and win the series 4-1. The Hawks will host Philadelphia for Game 1 of the finals Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Coming into Friday's Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Blackhawks winger Dustin Byfuglien had never scored a playoff goal at the United Center. All nine of his career postseason tallies had come on the road.

But playoff goal No. 10 came on home ice and it also came at a great time for the Blackhawks. Byfuglien took a pass from Dave Bolland and put it past San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 12:24 of overtime Friday to give the Hawks a 3-2 victory.

With the win, the Blackhawks take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the United Center.

For Byfuglien, the goal represents a continuation of perhaps the best stretch of hockey in his career. The big winger has seven goals in his last seven playoff games and has scored the winner in two of the three games in this series.

A streak of excellence continued for two other Blackhawks as well Friday night.

Jonathan Toews notched two assists, extending his point streak to 12 consecutive games. The Hawk captain has seven goals and 18 assists for a total of 25 points in 15 playoff games. You know how they say your best players have to be your best players in the postseason? Well, Toews is the Hawks best player, and he's looked like it in these playoffs.

Goaltender Antti Niemi isn't too shabby either. Would the Hawks be in this position if Cristobal "Frenchy-Poo" Huet were still in net? Hell no! Niemi has faced 118 shots in three games, and he's stopped 113 of them. That's a .958 save percentage. Being a rookie, Niemi is a question mark in a lot of people's minds. People will continue to question him as long as the Hawks are still playing, but so far, so good.

The Hawks are in terrific shape in this series, but they've still got one more game to win. The Sharks did not go quietly in Game 3, tying the game with 4:23 left in regulation to force the overtime session. I don't expect them to go quietly in Game 4 either. The Hawks played well Friday. They'll have to play even better Sunday, because I expect San Jose to bring its 'A' game to the upcoming elimination contest.

I noticed Wednesday night that White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham has changed his intro music. No more will we be graced by The Outfield's "Your Love" when Beckham strides to the batters box. Thank God. Beckham has switched to Metallica's "Seek and Destroy."

While I don't approve of Beckham's .185 batting average, crappy body language and Greg Walker-esque approach to hitting, I'm glad he has changed his walk-up music.

Unfortunately, it sounds like that's the only change going on at U.S. Cellular Field right now. Sox GM Kenny Williams gave a vote of confidence to the players and coaches Wednesday before the team turned in another lousy performance in a 3-2 loss to the Angels.

''Yes, I am impatient," Williams said. "Yes, I am frustrated. But yes, I do remain confident that this team is the one that can still challenge for the division championship. And hopefully beyond. We have a lot of good pieces. We just need it to come together. And we'll be just fine.''

I don't buy it. I'd be surprised if the team gets it together and challenges for a division championship. This weekend will be an interesting litmus test to see how Sox fans feel. You've got two afternoon games coming up Saturday and Sunday against the Florida Marlins. The weather in Chicago is supposed to be beautiful. These will be perfect days to take in a ballgame.

If people are actually interested in the Sox and believe in the team, there should be a good walk-up crowd. The guess here is that won't happen because the team is just not good. In addition, they are boring and predictable. If you want to watch a Sox game, you need to memorize and master these common phrases:

1. "Here comes a double play."
2. "That error will lead to four runs."
3. "He'll probably pop up or strike out."
4. "Who will hit the meaningless solo home run in the ninth? Konerko?"
5. "How old is Omar Vizquel?"

When watching the Sox, predictions of failure are common. And those predictions are right a good 80-90 percent of the time. There's really no feeling of hope among the Sox fan base right now, and Williams' words do nothing to change that.

Does Kenny actually have faith in this team? Really? Is he actually believing his own propaganda? I would prefer he go on his own "Seek and Destroy" mission and start figuring out how to rebuild this roster.

"Searchin' ..... SEEK AND DESTROY!"

It's getting late in my shift -- almost time to go home -- but I'll go home happy after the Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on the left coast tonight.

The win gives the Hawks a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series. The Hawks have also set a new franchise record and equaled an NHL record by collecting their seventh consecutive road playoff win.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (pictured) also extended a streak tonight. He now has at least one point in the last 11 games after registering a goal and an assist in Game 2. Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith had two assists each. Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and Troy Brouwer also scored.

To this point in the series, the Hawks top players have been better than San Jose's best players. Patrick Marleau did have both Sharks goals tonight. Joe Thornton did have an assist, but he was a minus-2 again. And he made a fool out of himself with an idiotic slash of Dave Bolland late in the third period.

Bolland has gotten under the skin of the Sharks, as San Jose players repeatedly took shots at him after the whistle in the latter stages of the game. Sharks winger Ryan Clowe got a misconduct at 19:42 of the third period for cross-checking Bolland from behind. That's a clear sign that Bolland is doing his job.

The Hawks are now 7-1 on the road in the playoffs. Now, they need to try to improve upon that pedestrian 3-3 postseason record at the United Center.

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Chicago. We'll see if the Hawks can keep their foot on the gas.

A lot of people didn't want Freddy Garcia back on the White Sox this year. I did. I figured he would be a serviceable fifth starter, at least for the first half of the year while youngster Daniel Hudson got some more seasoning at Triple-A.

As it turns out, Garcia has surprised even his supporters by pitching extremely well through his first seven starts of the season. The veteran right-hander has allowed two runs or less in five of those outings and improved his record to 3-2 with a 6-2 win in Detroit Wednesday afternoon.

Garcia doesn't have the fastball he used to have -- most guys don't after shoulder surgery. But his split-finger has been excellent, and he continued his pattern of pitching well against the Tigers. Garcia owns a lifetime 17-6 record against Detroit.

Believe it or not, the Sox actually have three starters throwing the ball well right now, despite a 16-22 record overall. John Danks (3-2) has allowed three runs or less in each of his seven starts this season. Jake Peavy (3-2) has won three starts in a row after a poor beginning to the season.

Now, if the Sox could just get Mark Buehrle (2-5) and Gavin Floyd (1-4) going, they might be able to piece together more than one win in a row for a change.

The White Sox game in Detroit is rained out tonight, which is good news. It means the South Siders can't lose.

Meanwhile, Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley says Sox GM Kenny Williams will shake up the coaching staff before he starts trading off players.

There are trade rumors going around about catcher A.J. Pierzynski, as well as relief pitchers Scott Linebrink and Bobby Jenks, but nothing seems imminent.

Williams put manager Ozzie Guillen in charge of the coaching staff in 2006, including all decisions on hiring and firing. But with a 15-22 record, a league-worst offense and a pitching staff ranked 12th in the American League in ERA, Williams may have seen enough.

From my perspective, any change will be welcome. We are almost a quarter of the way through the season, and I see no signs of life from the White Sox.

Shake 'em up, Kenny.

Generally speaking, a 5-0 disadvantage in power play opportunities isn't a recipe for success on the road in playoff hockey. But the Blackhawks won Sunday, beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Sharks scored on one of those five power plays, but they could not get any other pucks past Hawks goalie Antti Niemi. The rookie made a career-high 44 saves and turned in his best performance of the playoffs, if not the best performance of his Blackhawk career.

However, there was more to this Chicago win than just a great effort by Niemi. There were 85 total shots taken in this game. The pace was fast and furious. Without question, that favors the Blackhawks, who are perhaps the fastest skating team in the NHL. San Jose has an advantage in both size and strength, but the Sharks are not as fast as the Hawks.

After struggling through the first period -- the Hawks were lucky to be down only 1-0 after one -- Chicago found its legs in the second period and was quicker than San Jose all over the ice. Given the style of play, it's not surprising the Blackhawks prevailed.

It's worth noting that Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville did not take this blog's advice. He used his checking line --  featuring Dave Bolland, Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg -- against San Jose's top scoring line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. The Sharks' big guns were held off the scoresheet in this game.

However, Quenneville briefly did take this blog's advice in the third period, and it led to the game-winning goal. The Hawks coach put the Jonathan Toews line out for an offensive-zone draw against the Thornton line with about seven minutes left in the game.

Toews won the draw, Patrick Kane picked up the puck and passed it to Dustin Byfuglien, who blast from the high slot gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.

As we stated in our series preview, the Thornton line can score, but they can also be scored upon. Both Blackhawk goals were scored with Thornton and Co. on the ice. They were all caught watching the paint dry on Byfuglien's goal.

From the Hawks perspective, you have to hope the Sharks continue to play this fast-paced style. It plays right into the Hawks' hands. San Jose was not able to capitalize on its size advantage in Game 1. That will have to change for the Sharks win this series.

In other news, Blackhawks senior advisor Dale Tallon has left the organization to become the GM of the Florida Panthers. Tallon previously held the same position with the Hawks and was responsible for acquiring most of the players on the current Chicago roster. Tallon had his fair share of whiffs in free agency (see Huet, Cristobal), but his draft record is excellent. Toews, Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook -- all draft picks by Tallon. You have to believe the Panthers will show improvement under Tallon's leadership in the seasons to come.

This video was pointed out to me by former Beacon-News sports editor Todd Adams. We'll forgive Todd for being a Cowboys fan because this is pretty funny:

Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season

Maybe it was inevitable: The San Jose Sharks and the Blackhawks were the top two teams in the Western Conference all season. The Sharks finished with 113 points, the Blackhawks with 112. Now, they'll meet in the conference finals starting Sunday afternoon.

Looking at the matchup, I believe the Hawks are the deeper team. But San Jose's top two scoring lines are really, really good. The Sharks top line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley is thought of as the most prolific offensive trio in the NHL. However, San Jose's best player in the playoffs has been second-line winger Joe Pavelski (pictured scoring against the hated Detroit Red Wings), who has piled up nine goals and 15 points in 11 postseason games.

This creates a dilemma for Hawks coach Joel Quenneville. Chicago's checking line of Dave Bolland, Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg shut down Vancouver's high-scoring Sedin twins in the last round. Without a doubt, the Hawks want Bolland's line out there against the other team's top players. But which San Jose line should the Hawks be more concerned about? Thornton's line or Pavelski's line?

If I were Quenneville, I'd start out with the Bolland line against the Pavelski line. I'd like to see the Hawks top line featuring Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien skate against the Thornton line.

Why? Well, Thornton is minus-6 in these playoffs. Marleau is minus-1 and Heatley is minus-3. That top San Jose line can score, but they can also be scored upon, especially at even strength. I think the Toews line would be productive offensively playing against those guys. At the very least, the Toews line should be able to wash out the Thornton line at even strength.

Then, if the Bolland line can silence the Pavelski line (easier said than done), the Hawks would be at an advantage. That's the way I'd start the series. If it doesn't work, there's always time to adjust over the seven games.

We'll keep track of those matchups as the series progresses. Here's the rest of the stuff to know. Now that we've reached the conference finals, I'll use the playoff numbers instead of the regular-season stats for each player:

Schedule
Game 1: Sunday at San Jose, 2 p.m. (NBC)
Game 2: Tuesday at San Jose, 9 p.m. (Versus)
Game 3: Friday at Chicago, 7 p.m. (Versus)
Game 4: May 23 at Chicago, 2 p.m. (NBC)
Game 5: May 25 at San Jose, 8 p.m. (Versus)*
Game 6: May 27 at Chicago, 7 p.m. (Versus)*
Game 7: May 29 at San Jose, 7 p.m. (Versus)*
*if necessary

Goaltenders:
Hawks: Antti Niemi 8-4, 2.57 GAA, .910 save percentage
San Jose: Evgeni Nabokov 8-3, 2.43 GAA, .910 save percentage

Leading scorers
Hawks: Jonathan Toews 6 goals, 14 assists, 20 points, +4; Patrick Kane 7 goals, 8 assists, 15 points, +1; Patrick Sharp 5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points, +2; Marian Hossa 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, +5; Brent Seabrook 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, +5.
San Jose: Joe Pavelski 9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points, +7; Dany Heatley 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points, -3; Joe Thornton 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points, -6; Ryane Clowe 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, +5; Dan Boyle 2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points, +1.

Top defensemen
Hawks: Duncan Keith 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, -1; Seabrook (see stats above); Niklas Hjalmarsson 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, +3; Brian Campbell 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, +3.
San Jose: Boyle (see stats above); Douglas Murray 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, +1; Rob Blake 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, +1; Marc-Edouard Vlasic 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, +1.

Special teams
Hawks: Power play 21.6 percent (5th in playoffs); Penalty killing 88.7 percent (2nd in playoffs).
San Jose: Power play 19.3 percent (10th in playoffs); Penalty killing 84.2 percent (5th in playoffs)

Season series (Hawks won 3-1, home team in caps):
Nov. 15: HAWKS 4, San Jose 3
Nov. 25: Hawks 7, SAN JOSE 2
Dec. 22: San Jose 3, HAWKS 2
Jan. 28: Hawks 4, SAN JOSE 3

Note that the road team won three of the four in the season series. That's been a trend league-wide in the playoffs. We'll see if it continues in this series.

There's not much going on today. I can't even find any good sporting events to put on the TV here in the newsroom. The Hawks aren't playing. There are no NHL playoff games tonight at all. I don't get the MLB Network at work, so there isn't any baseball to watch either. Hey, at least the White Sox can't lose tonight. Anyway, here's a laundry list of nuggets from the world of sports today:

- We finally have an annoucement on when the Blackhawks will start their Western Conference Finals series against the San Jose Sharks. Game 1 will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday. NBC will telecast.

- Speaking of hockey, there were 41 arrests in Montreal last night as the fans celebrated the Canadiens' 5-2 upset victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Canadiens are one of the proudest and most historically successful franchises in all of pro sports. They have 24 Stanley Cups to their credit. While last night's Montreal victory was a surprise, you wouldn't think the fans of such a great franchise would start rioting and looting over a win in the second round of the playoffs. Just for the hell of it, I included a picture of the looters with this blog entry. Idiots.

- From college basketball, the pairings are out for the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Illinois will host one of the marquee games of the event. North Carolina will visit Champaign on Nov. 30. This marks the fifth time Illinois and North Carolina have met in the past decade. The schools have split the previous four meetings. Illinois won at home in 2002 and won at Chapel Hill in 2006. North Carolina won at home in 2004 and also defeated the Illini in the 2005 national championship game. The Big Ten won the Challenge 6-5 last year and figures to be favored in next season's event. As many as five Big Ten teams could be ranked in the top 20 to start the season.

- Speaking of Illinois hoops, Bruce Weber might add one more player to the roster for the 2010-11 season. Former Thornton Fractional North star Kyle Cain is a possibility. The 6-foot-7 forward could add size, frontcourt depth and rebounding.

- Lastly, this LeBron James-to-the-Bulls talk is getting out of control. Now, Sonny Vaccaro says LeBron is going to leave Cleveland to better his chances of winning a NBA title. He touted the Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers as possible destinations. I can't say I give a damn what James does. I'm already sick of the speculation, and the free agent period doesn't even start until July 1. Nobody knows exactly what LeBron James is going to do. I'm not sure James himself knows. I say let's give it a rest.

May 11 -- That's the day when the Vancouver Canucks get ready to go golfing. On this date in 2009, the Blackhawks eliminated Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinals. Exactly one year later, the Blackhawks have eliminated Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinals again with a 5-1 victory in Game 6 Tuesday night.

After a scoreless first period, Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg and Dave Bolland scored in the second period to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead. Bolland's goal was particularly huge, as it came short-handed in the final minute of the period.

Shane O'Brien scored early in the third for the Canucks to make it 3-1. But Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien scored 25 seconds apart shortly thereafter to put the game away.

The Hawks win this series 4-games-to-2. Next up: the Western Conference Finals against the top-seeded San Jose Sharks. The Hawks will begin that series on the road. Stay tuned to this blog for a complete schedule and preview in the days to come.

The Canucks are golfing! Let me hear ya cry, Vancouver!

Recruiting continues to trend in a positive direction for University of Illinois basketball. Orr High School junior Mycheal Henry gave an oral commitment to the Illini Monday, becoming the first major Public League prospect to select Illinois during the Bruce Weber Era.

Henry (pictured), a 6-5 forward, averaged 27 points and eight rebounds last season and is known for his shooting prowess. It's good to see the Illini adding guys who can score, since that has been the major problem for the program over the last four seasons.

"I think that it was just a particular fit and connection that helped Illinois in regard to this particular Public League player," recruiting analyst Joe Henricksen told Sun-Times reporter Michael O'Brien. "Henry is just a different type of kid and the people around him are a different type of people with the way they handled this recruitment and not letting it get crazy."

The Illini already have 2011 verbal commitments from Mount Carmel point guard Tracy Abrams and St. Ignatius forward Nnanna Egwu. Word on the street is Weber is looking to add two more players to his 2011 class, with De La Salle forward Mike Shaw and Rock Island guard Chasson Randle being the two top targets.

If Weber succeeds, the buzz around Illinois basketball will start to grow again. Even if he doesn't, he's in pretty good shape to contend for the forseeable future. More and more, top Illinois players are choosing Champaign as their college destination.

"This is three terrific recruiting classes in a row, highlighted by Illinois players," Henricksen said. "And now they have a Public League player in the mix."

Following Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals, we ripped the Vancouver Canucks for their goonish and criminally stupid style of play. In Game 5 Sunday night at the United Center, we saw a reversal of roles.

This time, it was the Canucks who played a smart, disciplined game. It was the Canucks who dictated in all facets and received strong goaltending. And it was the Blackhawks who committed stupid penalty after stupid penalty in Vancouver's 4-1 win.

With the victory, the Canucks forced the series back to Vancouver for a Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks still own a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series.

But for one night on Sunday, it was clear the Hawks completely forgot why they have the lead in this series. They lost their discipline. They gave Vancouver six power plays (one of which the Canucks scored on), and of those six penalties, no fewer than four were needless and foolish.

Perhaps of greater concern for the Hawks is their poor play on home ice in these playoffs. Chicago is 4-1 in five playoff road games, but just 3-3 at home. In five of the six playoff games hosted at the United Center, the Hawks have allowed the opponent to score first.

That was the case in Game 5 on Sunday when Vancouver's Christian Ehrhoff scored 59 seconds into the game. It was a soft goal that Hawks netminder Antti Niemi should have had. For that point forward, it was all Vancouver.

The Hawks continued a trend of trying to make the fancy plays at home. There was too much one-on-one play. There were too many guys trying to beat two or three checks by themselves. There were too many guys trying to force passes that were not there. That was most evident on the power play. The Hawks scored a combined seven goals with the man advantage in Games 3 and 4 in Vancouver. In Game 5, they were 0 for 4 and generated few quality chances on Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo.

In short, the Hawks got away from doing the things that allowed them to win three straight games in the series -- winning the battles on the boards and in front of both nets, making the simple play with the puck and avoiding stupid penalties. The Hawks did none of that in Game 5, and now it's a series again.

One of the things I learned in the schoolyard as a kid was that bullies don't like it when you hit them back. Bullies rely on their intimidation tactics, assuming that you'll cower in fear and back off. They never prepare for the contingency that you'll slug 'em right back. And when you do fight back, they go crying to their mamas.

That's how I look at what has taken place so far in this Western Conference semifinal series between the Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks thought they could intimidate the Hawks with physical play. They were dead wrong. Not only are the Hawks not intimidated, they are taking the fight right back to Vancouver.

Like the bully you knew when you were in fifth grade, the Canucks can dish it out, but they can't take it. The Blackhawks are controlling this series in all areas, and the Canucks are responding by taking a bunch of really brain-dead penalties, then whining about the officiating in the papers.

Vancouver gave the Hawks eight power plays in Friday night's Game 4. Chicago scored on four of the eight and won 7-4 to take a 3-games-to-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.

I thought the defining moment of this game came at 9:15 of the first period, when Vancouver defenseman Shane O'Brien took a needless, selfish penalty by cross-checking Hawks winger Dustin Byfuglien from behind into the boards. As you can see in the photo, he then proceeded to lie on top of Byfuglien for reasons unknown.

Fine. Go ahead, O'Brien. Be my guest. Put the Blackhawks on the power play. Eight seconds later, Hawks captain Jonathan Toews scored the first of his three goals on the night to put Chicago ahead 2-1.

Toews ended the night with five points, his first career playoff hat trick plus two assists. Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Tomas Kopecky and Dave Bolland also scored for the Hawks, who are making Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo look decidedly mediocre to this point in the series.

Right now, it appears to me the Canucks have learned nothing from last year. Vancouver lost to the Hawks in the second round of the 2009 playoffs for two reasons: They took a bunch of moronic penalties, and Luongo fell apart in critical situations. Thus far in this series, history is repeating itself.

A word of caution: The series is not over yet. The Hawks still need one more win. It's not over until you get that fourth win. But Vancouver is going to have to change it up if it hopes to get back in this series, because these gooning, bullying tactics simply are not going to work against this Blackhawk team.

Slugging first baseman Lance Berkman has made news in Houston the last couple days, saying he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the Astros wanted to deal him to a contender.

Not surprisingly, that's fueled some speculation that the offensively-challenged White Sox might be interested in adding Berkman to their slumping lineup.

Of course, Berkman said he wouldn't mind being traded to a contender. If that statement is to be believed, it's unlikely he would leave the sinking ship in Houston in order to board the sinking ship on the South Side of Chicago. Then again, maybe Berkman's injury problems and .196 batting average are a part of the reason the ship is sinking in Houston in the first place. But that's a topic for another time.

Today, we're going to talk about how bad the White Sox young core of hitters looks right now. Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham are all going backwards. That may be putting it kindly. In the case of Quentin and Beckham, they are falling off a cliff. Here are some numbers that show the regression of these three talented, but underachieving players:

Carlos Quentin
2008: .288 avg., .394 obp, .965 ops, 36 HRs, 100 RBIs.
2009: .236 avg., .323 obp, .779 ops, 21 HRs, 56 RBIs.
2010: .172 avg., .297 obp, .652 ops, 4 HRs, 18 RBIs.

Alexei Ramirez
2008: .290 avg., .317 obp, .792 ops, 21 HRs, 77 RBIs.
2009: .277 avg., .333 obp, .723 ops, 15 HRs, 68 RBIs.
2010: .215 avg., .240 obp, .562 ops, 2 HRs, 9 RBIs.

Gordon Beckham
2009: .270 avg., .347 obp, .808 ops, 14 HRs, 63 RBIs.
2010: .198 avg., .305 obp, .572 ops, 1 HR, 4 RBIs.

It's May 7 and Gordon Beckham has four RBIs. He's also going to the bench for a couple days. Not good. People are starting to talk about possibly sending him down to Triple-A Charlotte for awhile. He striking out a ton and can't get around on even an average major-league fastball right now. Greg Walker? Where are you? Help this kid, for God's sake.

Why did the Sox win the division in 2008? Well, the unexpected contributions of Quentin and Ramirez were perhaps the biggest reasons why. They've regressed since, as you can see above. Both players were better hitters in 2008 than they are now. Why is that? They aren't getting old. Quentin is 27. Ramirez is 28. They should be in the primes of their careers.

Instead, they stink. During Thursday night's 2-0 loss to Toronto, Quentin came up representing the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. Blue Jays closer Kevin Gregg threw Quentin one of his patented cement-mixer sliders. (Remember those, Cubs fans?) The ball was just hanging on the middle half of the plate belt-high, begging to be crushed into the seats for a game-tying home run. Instead, Quentin pulled off the ball badly and swung and missed. Strike three. Greg Walker? Where are you? Help this guy, for God's sake.

Kenny Williams can go out and acquire an aging, overpaid slugger like Lance Berkman if he wants. But if he does, I'll criticize the move as being pointless. Something has to be done to get Quentin, Ramirez and Beckham going. The season depends on it. If those three guys are going to be bad all year, get ready for 90-plus losses. That's the reality of this situation.

I thought Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville made a good move putting Dustin Byfuglien back at forward for his team's Western Conference semifinal series against the Vancouver Canucks.

There was just one problem: Quenneville had Byfuglien skating on the fourth line in Game 1. That made no sense. The purpose of putting Byfuglien back at forward is to allow him to screen Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo and hopefully get some garbage goals. Playing on a line with John Madden and Troy Brouwer in a 5-1 series-opening loss, Byfuglien was a non-factor because the Hawks were rarely in the offensive zone when he was on the ice.

Fast forward to Wednesday night's Game 3: Skating on the top line with big guns Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Byfuglien was a dominating force. He scored three goals, including two on the power play, as the Hawks came away with a 5-2 victory.

With the win, the Hawks take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and recapture home-ice advantage. Game 4 is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday in Vancouver.

All five goals the Hawks scored in Game 3 were scored within 10 feet of the net, all from right out in front of Luongo. That's a good sign for the Hawks. They have to get pucks and bodies to the net against this goaltender. The pretty play isn't always there. You have to take what is given in the playoffs, and the Hawks did that quite well in this Game 3 victory.

Byfuglien had his hat trick. Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa also lit the lamp.

And let's not forget goaltender Antti Niemi, who stopped 31 of 33 shots. Niemi made several key saves in the first period, as the Hawks not only survived Vancouver's first period blitz, they came out of it with a 2-0 lead.

In addition, Vancouver's two big guns, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, were held off the scoresheet in Game 3.

This was a strong road game all the way around for the Hawks. They scored the first goal. They scored twice on the power play. They killed off four Vancouver power plays. They stopped the opposition's big guns. They got excellent goaltending. That's the formula for success. We'll see if the Hawks can come up with a similar effort in Game 4.

So, I'm relaxing this afternoon before work, watching a game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees on the MLB Network.

Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters takes a page out of the Greg Walker Book of Hitting and hits a meaningless solo home run during the top of the ninth inning in New York's 7-5 victory. And guess what happens after Wieters' drive lands in the seats?

Some New York meathead threw the home run ball back on the field. Ugh. See what those idiots in the bleachers at Wrigley Field have started? Can we do away with this "tradition" yet? Please? I see this crap going on nationwide now, and it must be stopped. Eventually some idiot fan is going to hit one of his own team's outfielders in the head with an errant toss. It's ridiculous.

I've been to scores of Major League Baseball games in my 33-plus years, and I've never been fortunate enough to catch a foul ball or a home run ball. If I ever do catch a home run ball, rest assured that I'll be holding on to it -- even if it was hit by a member of the opposing team. Catching a home run ball really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it happens to you, it's a moment you should always remember and tell your grandkids about. Don't soil it by throwing the damn ball back on the field in an effort to look "cool" for all the other drunken morons around you. C'mon.

I guess there's an unwritten rule in hockey that the guy who scores the winning goal late in a tight playoff game always gets the No. 1 star. I'm not going to take any credit away from Kris Versteeg, who scored with 1:30 remaining to break a 2-2 tie in the Blackhawks' 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks Monday night at the United Center.

But I thought Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook (who received the No. 2 star) was the best player on the ice in this game. To tell you the truth, I thought Seabrook and his defense partner, Duncan Keith, were both brutal in the Canucks' Game 1 victory. The exact opposite was true in Game 2.

Both Keith and Seabrook were solid, but Seabrook was particularly outstanding. He finished the night with a goal, two assists and eight hits. He was on the ice for all four Blackhawk goals, including Patrick Kane's empty-netter to ice the game with 47.7 seconds left.

Most importantly, Seabrook made the breakout pass to start a 3-on-2 rush that led to Versteeg's game-winning (and potentially season-saving) goal. Seabrook hit Andrew Ladd in stride, who moved the puck quickly to Versteeg. With Ladd charging to the net, Versteeg lost control of the puck before he could get a shot away in the slot . But the puck eventually squirted back to Keith out near the blue line, who made a sweet pass to Versteeg, who basically had an empty net from the left faceoff circle.

With the win, the Hawks tie this best-of-seven series at 1-1. But it sure didn't come easy. The Hawks got off to a brutal start, allowing two goals in the first 5:02 of the contest.

Seabrook scored at 7:40 of the first to make it 2-1. The game remained as such until the third period, causing a lot of tension for Hawks fans in what many considered a must-win game. Patrick Sharp delivered the game-tying goal on a short-handed break at 6:39 of the third period, setting up the gut-wrenching final moments before Versteeg's goal got the Hawks right back in this series.

Game 3 is Wednesday night in Vancouver. As we stated before the series started, both of these teams are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. I expect plenty more drama before this is over, no matter the outcome.

Not a good performance for the Blackhawks in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Vancouver Canucks.

In fact, the Hawks arguably turned in their worst performance of the year in a 5-1 loss Saturday night. The power play sucked. The puckhandling sucked. The passing sucked. The defensive zone coverage sucked. The goaltending sucked. Other than that, everything was fine. You can pretty much burn the tape of this one and just get ready for Game 2. Write it off. This wasn't the Blackhawks team I watched collect 112 points this year.

Believe it or not, I thought the Hawks had a good start in the first period. They had 17 shots on goal and controlled the puck for the majority of the first 20 minutes. Yet they trailed 2-0 because they failed to finish on two power plays and Brent Sopel made a really bad turnover in his own zone in the final minute. Mason Raymond scored with 10.5 seconds left to give the Canucks their two-goal cushion and took the wind out of the United Center.

Then, Henrik Sedin scored 32 seconds into the second period to make it 3-0 Vancouver. Following that goal, the Blackhawks basically took the rest of the period off and before you knew it, it was 5-0.

Goaltender Antti Niemi got yanked after two periods in favor of Cristobal Huet. Niemi wasn't good, but it was hardly all his fault. Every single defenseman on the Blackhawks roster should be ashamed of themselves for their performance in this game. All six of them were bad.

It's disappointing to see the Hawks start out this series by not playing hard or well. Am I worried? Not really. Just disappointed. There's no excuse for not giving effort in the playoffs. I'd be more worried if the Hawks had played well and still lost.

The good news is this is a seven-game series. The Hawks have lost Game 1s before. They lost Game 1 to Vancouver last year and still won the series. They lost Game 1 to Nashville in the first round and still won the series. Just gotta be much better in Game 2 on Monday, and that's all there is to it.