How Hawks, Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Finals

A look at the Stanley Cup Final between the Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins.

Blackhawks’ journey:The Blackhawks began their quest for the Cup by beating the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in the Western Conference quarterfinals, outscoring the Wild 17-7.The Blackhawks advanced to meet their historical rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, and had to battle back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series in seven games #151; including a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 7.The Los Angeles Kings were next, and the Hawks stole a win in L.A to set up a 4-1 series win that culminated with Patrick Kane#146;s series-clinching goal in the second overtime of Saturday#146;s 4-3 triumph.Bruins#146; saga:The Bruins started their playoff run with a seven-game battle against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins scored 2 goals in the final 1:22 of Game 7 to force overtime, where Patrice Bergeron netted the series-clincher.The Bruins eliminated the New York Rangers 4-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, facing two overtime games, which they split.The Bruins swept top-seeded Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference finals. Tuuka Rask had 2 shutouts and allowed just 2 goals in the series. Hawks vs. Bruins playoff history:Original Six teams, the Blackhawks and the Bruins are meeting in the playoffs for the seventh time #151; but their first battle in the Stanley Cup Finals. The last postseason meeting was in 1978 when the Bruins swept the Blackhawks in the quarterfinals.The Bruins are 5-1 all time against the Blackhawks. The teams have not met this because of the post-lockout schedule. The last time they met during the 2011 regular season, the Bruins beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout.Stanley Cup Finals history:The Blackhawks most recently won the Stanley Cup in 2010, beating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. Patrick Kane scored the Cup clincher in OT at Philly. The Blackhawks, who have appeared 11 times in the Finals, also won the Stanley Cup in 1934, 1938 and 1961.The Bruins, who have made 18 Finals appearances, captured the Stanley Cup in 2011 for the sixth time in franchise history.