Youth Spurs Chicago to Western Conference Finals

With most eyes on the splendid series going on in Pittsburgh, the Canucks and Blackhawks waged a stirring Game 6 of their own, each team answering back repeatedly until Chicago's young stars put the game away - and put the Blackhawks into the conference finals for the first time since 1995.

After essentially a decade of futility, once-great Chicago is poised for a another lengthy run of success with players such as 20-year-old Patrick Kane, who had a hat trick in Monday night's 7-5 victory over Vancouver, and 21-year-old captain Jonathan Toews. Toews ended a nine-game goal-less streak by putting two in - including the go-ahead score, an attempted pass that deflected in on a power play with 6:11 left.

Daniel Sedin had given the Canucks a 5-4 lead with a power-play goal with 7:45 left, but Chicago's kid power turned it up a notch from that point on. Just 45 seconds later, Kane picked up the puck behind the net, went around the right side and slipped it past Roberto Luongo. Kane also put in the final tally with 3:43 to go.

Power-play goals gave Chicago a two-goal lead in the second period, with Kris Versteeg putting in a blast glove-side from the right circle with 16:06 left and Toews pushing his own rebound in on the right side with 9:43 to go.

The Canucks pushed back, and fast. Less than a minute after Toews' goal, Luongo made a terrific save on a Dave Bolland shot at one end and Vancouver took off on an odd-man rush, with Daniel Sedin ripping one in from the left side - Vancouver's first shot of the period, and it came 11:09 in. With 5:11 left, the Canucks' fourth line chipped in: Shane O'Brien got a screen from Kyle Wellwood, and beat Nikolai Khabibulin top left.

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CHICAGO - MAY 11: Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin #39 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks back for the puck after he made a save against the Vancouver Canucks during Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 11, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nikolai Khabibulin

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CHICAGO - MAY 11: Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin #39 of the Chicago Blackhawks makes a save with his blocker against the Vancouver Canucks during Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 11, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nikolai Khabibulin

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CHICAGO - MAY 11: Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin #39 of the Chicago Blackhawks tends goal against the Vancouver Canucks during Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 11, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nikolai Khabibulin

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Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (R) celebrates his third goal of the game on the Vancouver Canucks with Brian Campbell during the third period in Game 6 of their NHL Western conference semi-final hockey playoff in Chicago, May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Frank Polich (UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY)

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Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews is mobbed by teammates Adam Burish (top) and Patrick Sharp (10) after scoring against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period during Game 6 of their NHL Western conference semi-final hockey playoff in Chicago, May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Frank Polich (UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY)

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Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo reacts after giving up the seventh goal to the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period in Game 6 of their NHL Western conference semi-final hockey playoff in Chicago, May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Frank Polich (UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY)

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Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (L) is hugged by teammate Brian Campbell after scoring his third goal of the game to help defeat the Vancouver Canucks during Game 6 of their NHL Western conference semi-final hockey playoff in Chicago, May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Frank Polich (UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY)

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CHICAGO - MAY 11: (L-R) Duncan Keith #2, Kris Versteeg #32, Jonathan Toews #19, Andrew Ladd #16, Dave Bolland #36, Troy Brouwer #22, Patrick Kane #88 and Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Chicago Blackhawks look on from the bench against the Vancouver Canucks during Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 11, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Duncan Keith;Kris Versteeg;Dave Bolland;Troy Brouwer;Patrick Kane

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Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane celebrates his third goal of the game on the Vancouver Canucks during the third period in Game 6 of their NHL Western conference semi-final hockey playoff in Chicago, May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Frank Polich (UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY)

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CHICAGO - MAY 11: Head coach Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on from the bench against the Vancouver Canucks during Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 11, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joel Quenneville

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Early on in the wild third period, the teams traded goals, with Mats Sundin scoring for the Canucks and Adam Burish for Chicago.

As they had in four of the previous five games, the Canucks scored first. After a Chicago turnover along the boards, Vancouver wound up with a two-on-one and Mason Raymond scored with 8:47 remaining in the first period.
Two minutes later, however, the Blackhawks responded, with Kane flying down the right side and blasting a shot past Luongo, squeezing it in on the short side.

Both goalies made several terrific point-blank saves, with Khabibulin squelching the Sedins/Sundin line a few times and Luongo holding off Toews and Duncan Keith. After a 28-year streak of making the playoffs, Chicago had been to the postseason just once in the previous 10 years.