ore freeriding. But not this year.Theres one final competition happening this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it holds a lot of importance headi

CHICAGO - Marian Hossa and the Chicago Blackhawks were well aware theyd been playoff underachievers since they captured the Stanley Cup in 2010. Now, theyre eyeing another championship. And they just took an important step toward it. Hossa scored twice to back a strong effort by goalie Corey Crawford, and Chicago beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 Thursday night to win the first-round playoff series 4-1. The Blackhawks will face either San Jose or Detroit, if the Red Wings get past Anaheim, in the next round. "We knew we hadnt done it in two years," Hossa said. "Minnesota, they still have a great team and are missing some players. We found a way. Now we get ready for the next round." The way the Blackhawks have dominated, anything less than a trip to the Stanley Cup finals would be a disappointment for them. They got off to a record start and captured the Presidents Trophy for finishing with more points than any other team. Now, theyre eyeing the biggest prize of all. And after bowing out in the first round the past two years, they sure are looking good. Even so, coach Joel Quenneville insisted they need to step it up a notch. "Its not the regular season," he said. "Theres another appetite that weve got to get as well. I dont think we should be happy where were at with our play. Lets get angry as we go along here." Hossa scored off a feed from Jonathan Toews late in the first period. Marcus Kruger made it 2-0 with a wraparound early in the second, and Hossa chased the Wilds Josh Harding when he knocked in a rebound minutes later. Then, after Torrey Mitchell scored for Minnesota, Chicagos Andrew Shaw scored against Darcy Kuemper. Patrick Sharp added his fifth goal of the series early in the third period, and that was more than enough for Crawford. Coming off his second career playoff shutout, he saved 21 shots, and his performance in this series went a long way toward winning over a fan base wondering if he had the makeup to succeed in the post-season. After all, he let in some bad goals against Phoenix a year ago. "Im not the only guy in the league thats given up soft goals in the playoffs," Crawford said. "You guys like to keep telling me about it, but its something youre trying to learn from and trying to make yourself better from it." The Blackhawks became the third team to advance in this post-season, along with San Jose and Ottawa. They also bucked a recent trend of early exits for Presidents Trophy winners. The team with the most regular-season points had been eliminated in the first round in three of the previous four years. The Wild were hoping to replicate what the Los Angeles Kings did last year and win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed, but the Blackhawks simply had too much skill, speed and depth. The Wild were also short-handed after losing one of their top scorers in Dany Heatley to season-ending left shoulder surgery late in the season. They also had to get by without goalie Niklas Backstrom after he suffered a leg injury in warm-ups before Game 1. That forced the Wild to go with Harding, who played in just five games during the regular season after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last summer. "It was a kind of a curveball there, but I thought Josh played very well. I was very happy for him and way that he handled everything," the Wilds Matt Cullen said. Harding also got banged up in this series. He left Game 4 after a collision with Toews in which his legs got straddled around the left goal post, and he wasnt sharp in this one, allowing three goals on 18 shots even though he was deemed well enough to start. Coach Mike Yeo turned to Kuemper after Hossas second goal. He also insisted the injury in Game 4 wasnt a factor in Hardings performance in this one. "It wasnt," Yeo said. "I dont want to pin this loss on Josh, either. Credit them and their team." There was also a question about Yeos job security after this loss. The Wild were widely considered Stanley Cup contenders after they gave free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter identical 13-year, $98 million contracts last summer. But they never quite lived up to expectations. "I cant answer that," Yeo said. "All I can say is if you want to look at it objectively, statistically, if you really want to look at it properly, then thereve been a lot of improvements in our organization and our team. I feel that were going in the right direction." For a moment, the Wild looked like they might get back into this one. Moments after Minnesotas Jared Spurgeon hit the right post, Mitchell ripped a one-timer past Crawford midway through the second period. But Shaw answered 35 seconds later with his first career playoff goal when he swept the puck in from a bad angle just to the right of the net, making it 4-1. As for Crawford, there was some debate in Chicago over whether he or Ray Emery should be the No. 1 goalie in the playoffs. Both were terrific during the regular season. Emerys lower body injury ended the discussion, and Crawford was nothing but solid in this series. "Hes making saves that he needs to make and hes making saves that he shouldnt be making," Sharp said. "When he does that, it breeds confidence throughout the lineup and it filters through everybody." He even had the fans chanting his name at several points. For example, when Crawford stopped a routine shot by Jason Pominville from the wing and scrambled back toward the middle of the net for a neat pad save against Mikko Koivu on the rebound. That foiled another power play by the Wild after they went 0 for 15 in the first four games. "I definitely heard (the chants)," Crawford said. "Its nice. It was a good feeling. Theyve been hard on me at times this year, obviously, but thats a part of it. They want the best. They expect us to be at our best. Its only fair." Notes: Blackhawks C Dave Bolland and Emery remain sidelined by lower body injuries, although Quenneville said theyre "real close." Bolland said its 50-50 he would have been able to play if "it was do or die" for the Blackhawks, but he expects to be ready in the next round. ... Quenneville moved ahead of Mike Keenan and took sole possession of second place on the Blackhawks playoff wins list with 34. Billy Reay is the club record-holder with 57 from 1963-77. Cheap Vans Shoes .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-sk8-hi-clearance.html . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Cheap Vans Sk8 Hi Shoes . PETERSBURG, Fla. Vans Old Skool White . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Normally, October in the FMX community is a time to wrap up demos for the season before things calm down for the winter season. Even in California, where its always warm, the arrival of fall means less competitions and more freeriding. But not this year.Theres one final competition happening this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it holds a lot of importance heading into 2017. Its Monster Energys FMX High Rollers Contest, and it will serve as the official qualifier for the Moto X Best Whip and Freestyle events at X Games Minneapolis 2017.Taking place in the pits at the Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium, Monster Energys FMX High Rollers Contest will feature three competition formats: Dirt Shark Biggesst Whip, Freestyle Motocross, and FMX Quarterpipe Big Air, as well as competitors from Australia, France, Spain, Japan, Switzerland and the U.ddddddddddddS.And it will be streamed live on MonsterEnergy.com, as well as XGames.com. In the lead up to FMXs biggest event of the fall season, XGames.com caught up with a few of the expected competitors. From inspirational R&B to moving dirt on the ground, Monster Energys FMX High Rollers Contest is looking to be one of for the books.For exclusive updates, visit Monster Energy or follow along on Monsters Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ' ' '