Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg scored late in the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks reached the championship round for the first time since 1992 after rallying from a two-goal deficit to post a 4-2 decision over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Brent Seabrook and Dave Bolland also tallied for the Blackhawks, who completed the four-game sweep in dramatic fashion and await their opponent in the Stanley Cup Finals. Philadelphia can lock up a berth in the title round with a win on Monday, as it holds a 3-1 series lead over Montreal.
Antti Niemi shook off some early rust and stopped 16-of-18 shots for Chicago, which holds the NHL's longest current Cup drought, having come up short every season since a 1961 win over Detroit.
Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau lit the lamp for the Sharks, who suffered another in a long line of disappointing playoff setbacks.
San Jose, which has reached the 100-point plateau in each of the last four seasons, overhauled its roster in the wake of a shocking first-round loss to Anaheim a year ago. Despite once again being a favorite to contend for the Cup and reaching its first conference finals since 2004, the Sharks failed to win even one game in the series.
Evgeni Nabokov allowed three goals on 26 shots in defeat.