Final Score: Blackhawks 4, Sharks 2

The young and talented Chicago Blackhawks are heading to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 18 years.

The 2-seed in the West, the young Hawks used their energy, strong defensive play, and timely offensive attacks to dispose of the 1-seed San Jose Sharks in just 4 games.

The series didn't feel like a complete blowout, and each game was a war within itself. But the Sharks managed to score just 7 goals in 4 games against Chicago's young rising goaltender, Antti Niemi.

San Jose did not have any of their stars step up big in the series. Patrick Marleau had 5 goals for the Sharks, and just two other players scored. Jason Demers had the first goal of the series, and Logan Couture scored the first goal of Game 4. Nobody else scored. None for Dany Heatley. None for Joe Thornton or Joe Pavelski. Nothing from Rob Blake or Setoguchi.

The play of Chicago goalie Antti Niemi was certainly a reason for the lack of Sharks scoring. But the netminder had to make just 16 saves in this afternoon's Game 4.

There simply was not enough pressure from the Sharks in this one, and the San Jose franchise continues its run of disappointing playoff finishes. The Sharks have never made the Stanley Cup Finals, despite having several teams at the top of the Western Conference during the regular season. This year was much of the same. The Sharks were the 1-seed, but could not manage to win a game in the Conference Finals.

As for the Blackhawks, this team is rolling. Their only question mark going into the postseason was their goaltending, and Antti Niemi has been playing like a star. The defense has been a strong, quick, cohesive unit that can ignite an offensive attack quickly, with full-length passes down the ice.

The Chicago attackers are extremely energetic and talented. Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith. These guys are all playing fantastic hockey up front for Chicago. The Hawks have 3 full lines of dynamic attack, and it's a non-stop assault on goal.

The youth of Chicago has proven to be an asset, and not a drawback. The Hawks are consistently winning 50/50 pucks in open play, and continue to crash the boards hard and attack the net with full force. They're not the biggest, strongest team out there, but they're very skilled and smart players that have taken advantage of scoring opportunities.

The Hawks had 27 shots in this one, getting goals from Brent Seabrook, Dave Bolland, and a big one from Dustin Byfuglien to take a 3-2 lead. Kris Versteeg added an empty-netter to clinch the win for the Blackhawks on their home ice.

Byfuglien was the first star of the game, and has probably been the MVP of this series. He has been in the right spots at the right time, and has a knack for scoring huge goals in the clutch. His Power Play goal today with 6 minutes to play was the series clincher.

The Hawks were down 2-0 in this game. The second Sharks goal came shorthanded, and it took a lot of energy out of the Chicago crowd. But the Blackhawks would even the score at 2-2 by the end of the second period, and continued to dominate play in the 3rd before Byfuglien's goal.

Chicago now moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they await the Eastern Conference representative. The Flyers have a 3-1 lead on the Canadiens in that series. Regardless of who wins, the Hawks will certainly be the Cup favorite in the finals.

This young, explosive Chicago team has gotten clutch scoring, consistent attacking, and big-time goaltending to advance to the finals, where they will be a favorite to hoist their first Stanley Cup in 50 years.