With the finish line coming into view once again, the Blackhawks came out in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals as though they knew the chance to repeat is no longer 10 steps down the road. They controlled play for the better part of the first period and save for Marian Gaborik getting a couple clean looks in the slot, they did a good job of keeping the Kings to the outside and negating any kind of forecheck with clean breakouts.
Recent Posts
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Kings at Hawks Game 1 3rd Period Thread
When the shit hit the fan
It was all I could stand
Yeah, well I’m a frequent flyer
My body’s breathing while it can
But what I don’t understand is that
My world ain’t gettin’ no brighter -
Kings at Hawks Game 1 2nd Period Thread
An I’ll try to paint a story
Got your pictures to tell
Yeah you got to make a living
With what you bring yourself to sell -
Kings at Hawks Game 1 1st Period Thread
Diamonds and fast cars
Money to burn
I got my head in the clouds
I got these thoughts to churn
Got my feet in the sand
I got a house on the hill
I got a headache like a mother
Twice the price of my thrills -
This Traffic Is Hell Can You Give Me A Lift?: Kings at Hawks Game 1 Preview/Pregame Thread/Disco Brunch
vs. 
FACEOFF: 2pm Central
TV/RADIO: NBC, 87.7 FM
SITTIN’ ON THE THRONE: The Royal Half, Jewels From The Crown
Seems so familiar. A presence we haven’t felt since… well, last year.
The Kings roll into the United Center a mere 40 hours after clocking a fellow California team in a Game 7, though this time the Hawks only needed six games in their previous round. And that’s starts a bit of a train of things that are different this time around, which is going to make for a very tough series.
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Beard Of The Day – May 18th – George Lucas
Now more than ever, Hollywood is all about sequels, prequels, and reboots, right down to their hockey team, making their third consecutive Western Conference Final, and their second straight against the Blackhawks. And it’s with that that George Lucas, one of the pioneers of the franchising of movies, and his beard, are recognized.
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Stranger Than Fiction – Kings/Western Conference Final Preview Podcast With The Royal Half
With there being about 40 hours (give or take, depending on time zones) between the death honk of the Ducks and the Kings taking the ice on West Madison tomorrow afternoon, there’s obviously not nearly enough time to get as in depth into the opponent in print as we’d like here. Fortunately we’ve got you covered.
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Beard Of The Day – May 17th – David Lowery
With the Hawks now in a series against one of two southern California based teams, and in the Western Conference Final for the second time in two years against a team from California, it’s appropriate that today’s beard be the frontman of two different southern (albeit rural) California bands- David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker.
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Sick Of California Songs: Kings-Ducks Game 7 Primer
vs. 
FACEOFF: 8pm Central
TV: NBCSN
WHY DID I MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA?: The Royal Half, Battle of Cali, Anaheim Calling
We’ll give this one the full treatment as the winner will be the Hawks’ final step in the Western conference.
The first thing to know about tonight’s decider is that Bruce Boudreau’s record in Game 7s at home is not impressive. In fact, it’s total sewage. In 2008 Boudreau’s Caps, which were just a barely mediocre team that got hot enough to win a terrible division, lost to the Flyers in overtime (cue a Cristobal Huet stick-breaking tantrum). In 2009, the Caps made it to the second round to face the Penguins that had the NHL at its most tumescent, and they even got a Game 7 out of it. And at Verizon Center Semyon Varlamov melted down and this game was over before you could finish your first beer. The following year, the Caps fired 50+ shots at Jaro Halak, from everywhere and anywhere and in such a panicked fashion it felt like the hockey version of a teenage boy trying to bang an exotic dancer, so frantic and panicked that it was. Again, the Caps went home. They’ve never recovered from that loss as an organization. But Gabby brought this act out west with him, with the Ducks barfing up last year’s first round decider to Babcock’s Wings. So yeah, there’s some history here.
