ONE GOAL: It's good to beat the Kings

Game One: Chicago 2, Los Angeles 1.

Game Two; Chicago 4, Los Angeles 2.

I talked to a local bartender who is also a knowledgeable Hawks fan during the third period of Game One. We agreed on two things: first, that the Kings may be overrated, and that the Hawks may either sweep them or win the series in five. Rather, as I said earlier, than the top four teams having made it to the Final Four, it may turn out that the top three teams and Jonathan Quick made it there. And Quick doesn't appear to be enough.

What I'm worried about at this point is the Bruins. The Penguins are the only other team in the Hawk's class. But the Bruin's physical play pretty much dominated them in Game One of the Eastern Conference semis. The Pens are a better team. But the Hawks match up much better against them than they do against the Bruins.

I'll be rooting for the Pens to be the Hawks' opponents in the Finals. It's an old story: in hockey, a team which combines a reasonable amount of skill with size and a willingness to use it can often beat a much more talented team.

Right now it's the Bruins- or more specifically, the Bruins' brawn- that I see as the main obstacle to a second Blackhawk Stanley Cup in four years.