There’s no time to waste, let’s get to the top five stories you should have been paying attention to this week.

Shhhhhh, the commercials are on!  Well, it’s Super Bowl weekend and the hype has been surprisingly tempered leading up to this great match-up.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m blessed with the NFL Network now and am thereby spared of Berman, % Co., but it has been pure bliss.  As for the game, it certainly has the chance to continue the recent trend of spectacular Super Bowls.  I heard Mike Greenberg say on the radio that Manning lives to win this game and you don’t often see quarterbacks like him lose in this game.  I really don’t know what he’s talking about, but it sounded cool enough for me to pick the Saints.  I look forward to seeing Peyton vs. the blitz again this week and seeing how many times Gregg Williams can draw something up to put Manning on his back.  I also think Brees, who has not been his defense-sculpting self lately, will bounce back and take MVP honors. Book it! No, don’t….but enjoy the game. 

March Sadness?  The rumors were flying this week that the NCAA was seriously considering–maybe even decided already–to expand the NCAA basketball tournament to 96 teams.  As Drew Magary of KSK/Deadspin said, “You know what this tourney needs? Every NIT team!”  Could you imagine this? After the play-in game, there are a total of zero games I am disinterested in watching, but if it went to 96 I just couldn’t get real riled up about Air Force and Oregon State playing for the right to go against Georgetown.  Madness!  Does anyone outside of the mediocre Big East teams like this?  I mean, even if you’re a mid-major you’d prefer some actual respect in the current system than this.  Please fix football’s postseason before you try your level best to ruin basketball’s. 

Who scored 52 points?!!  I looked at the TV last weekend and saw the following on ESPN’s bottom line: “POR Miller: 52 pts.”  Then I did one of those double takes where you go back to what you’re doing only to realize seconds later that something is horribly wrong.  “Does someone named Miller other than Andre Miller play for the Blazers?”  Was it Mike Miller? Reggie? Oliver?!! All seemed like better options despite knowing the truth.  Andre had scored 52 in his previous five games combined and even that included a 28 point outting that was 15 points over his season average.  Honestly, it’s one of the most impressive games I’ve heard of in a while.  Only one three, only seven free throws.  The guy made 21 two point shots.  Tip of the cap to you, sir. 

Hockey talk.  Trades are going down in the NHL prior to the Olympic break.  Some big names that most of you have never heard of changed teams this past week.  Most of the dealing involved the Eastern Conference though, so no worries for the Blackhawks.  The only meaningful impact on the Western Conference was that Calgary lost two of its best players in Olli Jokinen and Dion Phaneuf.  Sweet names.  Jokinen headed to the Rangers and Phaneuf to the Maple Leafs.  The Leafs also picked up goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere from Anaheim; not a bad week.  Finally, the big one: Ilya Kovalchuk was sent to New Jersey in exchange for a package of young players–including Patrice Cormier–and a first round pick next year.  Kovalchuk is the gem of the trading market and one of the best players in the league and if the Devils weren’t already among the favorites (currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference) they certainly are now.  If you learned or cared about nothing else in this paragraph, know that hockey players generally have awesome names.

OCNN Covers the Super Bowl.  Chad OchoCinco has been all over the place since his Bengals exited the playoffs.  Most recently he has launched his news team, OCNN, which has been covering the events in Miami from the Pro Bowl to Super Bowl Media Day.  This came after Ocho took a bus full of fans on a trip down to Miami that made stops along the way to do some charity work. Here’s some work from Chad and his “news team” below:

The Dan Le Batard Show has given us more gold from Randy Moller, the color commentator for the Florida Panthers.  Moller, in case you’re unfamiliar, has become somewhat famous for his pop culture referencing goal calls.  Here is the latest version, with some gems for sure.

h/t Puck Daddy

In case you missed it Wednesday night, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews got absolutely destroyed by Willie Mitchell. 

Tough break for Toews as Mitchell came out of the penalty box seconds before slamming the captain with a vicious, clean hit.  Kris Versteeg followed up by going after Mitchell, which normally would draw criticism from this hockey fan.  I’m getting sick of players starting fights after clean hits, but in this case we’re talking about your team leader getting trucked.  It’s not that Mitchell shouldn’t have hit Toews, it’s just that when someone hits your captain like that, you stand up. 

You’ll also notice the score when the hit took place, with the Hawks up two to one in the third.  Vancouver went on to win the game with the Hawks taking a few penalties after the big hit.  A theme last year was bouncing back and seeing how a young team would respond in tough situations.  The performances last year should give fans every reason to believe that the Blackhawks will be fine going forward. 

Nashville comes into the UC tomorrow night and it looks like Toews and Brent Seabrook, who also sustained an injury in the third period Wednesday, will both be good to go.  Goaltending may be a bit of an issue this year, but I think we’ll find out tomorrow night that character, focus, and resolve won’t be.

I was overjoyed last night when I found out the Blackhawks-Flames game would be on Versus.  Not so overjoyed when the Flames had built a five goal lead with just over eight minutes left in the FIRST period.  In about five and a half minutes, the Flames went from scoreless, to up five; and they were shorthanded for two minutes!  It was awful.  The Flames were winning every battle, skating faster, playing harder.  The fans in the United Center were not happy.

Still, when newcomer John Madden tallied late in the first period, there was this feeling that I knew the Blackhawks had the firepower to come back.  The second period belonged to Chicago, with goals from Kane, Byfuglien, and Bolland in a span of seven minutes.  Patrick Sharp tied the game about five minutes into the third on a great redirection that found the net.

With the United Center frenzied, the Hawks pressured but couldn’t end the game in regulation, but it only took 26 seconds of the extra period.  Brent Seabrook found himself with the puck and snapped a low shot beat Kiprusoff and cap the amazing comeback.

It’s safe to say I’ve never seen a game like that before.  To play so horribly in the first period and be able to completely turn that around to out-shoot the Flames by 19 and win is amazing.  I cannot overstate how bad things were during the onslaught by the Flames.  Duncan Keith even made a mistake!  As bad as Huet looked, Niemi looked just as bad when he came in after three goals.  It half expected to see Mark Grace come into goal.

For this young team to hang in and dominate the last two periods says so much.  As for their make-up, you have to like that they didn’t quit and while they may not have believed they could win the whole time, it didn’t take much to find that confidence.  While the veteran Madden got the first goal, Patrick Kane was electrifying last night.  The kid had a goal and two assists and with two teams filled with stars, he was the best player on the ice.

The comeback marks the biggest comeback in franchise history and ties for the best in league history.  That stat makes me think of when you’re watching a long field goal and the kicker hits a 58-yarder and they say “that would have been good from 65 or 70.”  While the Hawks only matched the five goals in regulation, you got the feeling watching that if it was six or seven, they would have matched that too.

We thought this would be an exciting season, and it certainly looks like that will be the case.

In case you missed it, the Blackhawks and Red Wings kicked off the North American portion of their regular season schedules last night in Detroit, with the Wings holding on for a 3-2 win.

This was supposed to be–or at least had the chance to be–the statement game for the Hawks.  It was time to show the Red Wings that the Blackhawks were ready to dominate the Central.  As with a lot of sports stories these days, that was getting a little ahead of ourselves.  One thing the viewer could take from the game however is that the battle for the division this year is going to be hard fought and an absolute joy to watch.

It’s been a while, so you know what I was thinking?  Bullets?  Bullets.

• The contrast in defensemen was notable, hence the noting going on. For Chicago, the blue liners were jumping into the play and creating opportunities, while for Detroit there was a lot more bruising going on.  Brad Stuart played one of the best games I’ve seen him play for the Wings and dished out some huge hits.
• Speaking of defensemen getting into the action, a defenseman has gotten the goal or an assist every time the Hawks have put the puck in the net this season.  Seabrook and Barker had assists last night.
• The turning point last night was pretty clearly the Hawks failure to score on a lengthy 5-on-3 power play in the second period when they were already leading 1-0.  The Wings blocked some shots, Osgood made a couple good saves, and the Hawks took a couple bad shots.  Quenneville took a timeout toward the end of the advantage to set things up, but it didn’t work out.  The Wings went on to score three goals in the second period, including Franzen’s game winner on a Red Wing power play.
• Like I said earlier, this is going to be fun to watch.  There is so much talent on the ice when these two teams meet.  In addition, neither team is afraid to get physical and it rarely escalates to anything particularly dirty.  When Hossa returns, Detroit-Chicago will be a game you cannot miss, trust me.
• 1-1-1 isn’t a great start, but it’s only three games in.  If the Hawks play like they did last night, the wins will definitely come.  They outshot the Wings and seemed to have the bulk of the possession.  Huet looked pretty good as well, making some big saves in the third to keep his team in it.

The Hawks open the United Center on Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche.  They have eight home games against two away games the rest of the month.  Try to get to the UC and check out a game.

I really can’t believe hockey season is about to start up again.  The Blackhawks have gone through a remarkable transformation over the last three or four years and the start of the 2009-10 season brings yet another new feeling for Hawks supporters.  

For one, a large group of Hawks supporters exists.  The combination of a fan friendly shift in philosophy and a markedly improved product on the ice worked to make the Blackhawks relevant once more in the Windy City.  People know who you’re talking about when you rave about Kane, Toews, or Sharp. 

Last year coming into the season I think the overall feeling was waiting to see if this was a team that could compete with the Detroits and San Joses of the Western Conference.  After a run to the Western Conference Finals and a few key pick-ups in the off-season the Blackhawks are the favorites to play for the Stanley Cup in the minds of some.  Expectations are high and Chicago has the guns to meet them. 

There are two major changes worth mentioning.  First, the Hawks went out and signed former Red Wing Marian Hossa.  Hossa is a bona fide goal scorer and playmaker and despite his struggles in the playoffs last year he can take over any game.  Hossa may well be the piece that puts the Blackhawks over the mountain that is the Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division.  Adding Hossa to an already potent attack should scare the hell out of opponents.  However, Marian is out until November or so after shoulder surgery. 

The second change is in the net.  After a stellar season last year, the loss of Khabibulin is major.  Huet was good at times last year and scary at others.  His performance in the last game of the Detroit series calmed down a lot of fans’ fears, but he’ll need to put it all together to get this team to where they want to go. 

Another addition that could end up being just as big is John Madden (not that John Madden), a top notch special teams player that put together a great run in New Jersey.  Other newcomers include Tomas Kopecky (Detroit) and Radek Smolenak (Tampa Bay), both forwards.  The blue liners remain pretty much the same, but you’ll notice Brent Sopel is back after missing last year due to injury.

One thing to watch early is the battle for the second goaltending spot.  Most teams only carry two goaltenders, but the Hawks have three, with Corey Crawford and Antii Niemi  backing up Huet.  My thought is that Niemi is only hanging around because the Hawks are in Finland, and Niemi is Finnish.  We’ll see what the roster looks like when the Hawks get back to take on Detroit on October 8th. 

Not sure how the lines will stack up, but I think Madden is a nice addition as a third line center and Kopecky fits in nice with Eager and whatever other bruiser they throw in on the fourth line.  Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg will be interesting to watch this season as well, to see how they progress. 

So how will the Blackhawks finish up?  Wow, good question.  The experience gained in the playoffs was so valuable last season and the Hawks certainly have the tools to overtake Detroit in the Central, with the Wings throwing some young guys in and demanding production.  I expect the Sharks to finish at the top of the Western Conference in the regular season, but I suspect the Blackhawks will be right behind them.  Another prediction: Duncan Keith finishes the season as a finalist for the Norris Trophy. 

Get ready Hawks fans, the season starts tomorrow afternoon when the Hawks take on the Florida Panthers in Finland at 11 am Central Time.

• The Nationals are having a rough season to say the least.  Even the tarp seems to have the upper hand on them.  [Zoner]
• Here’s the video of the scary moment in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when Adam Burish got sliced in the neck with Ben Eager’s skate.  [Luol's Dong]
• The Wings and the Hawks could be primed for a special series and the future looks good for many great match-ups between the rivals.  Here are the top ten rivalries in Chicago Sports.  [TTCS]
• Kornheiser is out and Jon Gruden is in the booth for Monday Night Football next season.  Hard to say how long that’ll last as it seems unlikely his career in coaching is over.  Oh, and things could be a little awkward with fellow ESPN employee Chris Mortensen [Awful Announcing]
• The Brewers took a hit yesterday as they learned Rickie Weeks will be out for the remainder of the season.  Weeks was pretty good to start the season.  [Sun-Times]
• A Fighting Illini offensive lineman was arrested outside of a bar in Champaign.  Looks like two counts of aggravated battery, with the victim still hospitalized.  Zooker suspended him indefinitely.  [Tribune]
• This racist shirt thing with the Cubs and Cardinals is ridiculous and in the Cubs case very unoriginal.  Boooooo! [Deadspin]
• Game 1 of the WCF match-up between the Wings and Hawks drew the highest television rating for a hockey game on NBC since the lockout.  [FanHouse]
• The White Sox lost 3-2 to the Blue Jays as Toronto completed a four game sweep and the Sox have dropped five in a row. [Yahoo]

• I don’t envy anyone who missed the Hawks game last night.  Chicago won a 7-5 thriller to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1995.  Kane had a hat trick. [Sun-Times]
• Indians beat the White Sox in an AL Central pillow fight.  [Yahoo]
• The Bears signed ex-Lions tight end Michael Gaines.  Quick scouting report from a Lions fan: he sucks.  [Tribune]
• Also, Jose Contreras cleared waivers and will be sent down to the minors to work on his stuff.  Good luck with that. [ESPN]
• Are stolen bases worthless?  If they were, then why do teams try and stop them?  Seriously though, they might not be worth it.  [WSJ]
• Bobby Jenks says he was throwing at Ian Kinsler intentionally the other day.  Gotta admire his honesty.  Plus, what’s Kinsler going to do, come out and sumo fight Jenks? [Deadspin]
• Pat Burrell got a nice surprise when the fans at Fenway went nuts about the Celtics win.  [This May Concern You]

• White Sox beat the Mariners behind the long ball.  What other method do they even use?  [Sun-Times]
• Chicago lost to Arizona 10-0 yesterday.  10-0? We couldn’t even Gould to kick one lousy field…wait, that’s the Cubs score?  [Tribune]
• No suspension for Rajon Rondo after his missed block/intentional foul/flagrant foul/slap of Brad Miller in Game 5.  Garnett’s reaction?  You guessed it, mad face! [ESPN]
• Versus was typically awful in its coverage of the first round of the NHL playoffs despite promising to be not so bad this time around. [FanHouse]
• Ladies and gentlemen, Zoner presents: Big Sean and his Power Ten…and other words like big and power! [Zoner]
• It’s HHR at the draft classic, complete with video and stuff.  Check it out.  [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• Still worked up about how Game 5 ended?  Here’s something on the lighter side before tonight’s game.  [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• Worried that you might have Swine Flu?  Check if you do here. [Swine Flu]

Okay, so one night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is already in the books, but I’m making my playoff picks today anyway.  Zoner posted his picks yesterday, so I figured I’d give it a shot.  As much as I have come to enjoy watching the Hawks play the last few years, I just can’t pick them to win it all.  Well, here they are:

Eastern Conference

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #8 Montreal Canadians- Bruins in 5

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #7 New York Rangers- Capitals in 6

#3 New Jersey Devils vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes-Hurricanes in 7

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers- Penguins in 5

Bruins over Hurricanes, Penguins over Capitals in the second round.

Western Conference

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Anaheim Ducks- Sharks in 6

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets- Wings in 5

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 St. Louis Blues-  Blues in 6

#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #5 Calgary Flames- Hawks in 6

Sharks over Blues, Wings over Hawks.

Stanley Cup Finals:  I’ll take the Bruins to beat the Penguins in the East and the Wings over the Sharks in what could be a great Western Conference Finals.  Then for the Cup, I’ll go with the Boston Bruins in six games.  Despite picking them out in the second round, I like the Hawks chances of making a run. They could pretty much play anyone in the second round with the re-seeding format, and there is no team in the playoffs they aren’t capable of beating.

There are the predictions and now you know what isn’t going to happen.

• Jason Marquis led the Rockies to a win over the Cubs yesterday, that’s embarrassing.  Also, the Sox were blown out by the Tigers.  [Sun-Times: Cubs, Sox]
• The Big Ten announced some start times for this year’s football games.  The Illini have a couple of night games scheduled and will have a 2:40 start against Missouri to start the season.  [Tribune]
• Isiah Thomas was forced to answer some tough questions on ESPN last night after accepting the job to coach Florida International.  [Awful Announcing]
• Something crazy is going on with Duke basketball player Greg Paulus.  First he works out for the Packers, then meets with Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez.  Apparently he has a year of eligibility left and was a top quarterback recruit out of high school.  Hmm.  [Deadspin]
• Charlie Weis admits to talking to his family about possibly quitting Notre Dame.  Notre Dame admits hoping he does (not really).  [ESPN]
• Apparently the Louisiana State Bar Exam featured some Hornets players’ names in some of the questions.  That’s funny, because in Oregon you only get to solve legal problems involving Portland players after you pass the exam.  [Hornets247]
• The NHL playoffs started last night and the Blackhawks play their first playoff game since 2002 tonight.  Here is a look at the top ten plays from the regular season.  [Puck Daddy]
• Some high school kid threw three no-hitters in a row, but now you know we just jinxed him.  He’s going to Florida to play next year, so wait ’til he learns that Tim Tebow threw four no-no’s in one day when he was 12…while saving babies between innings.  [Slow Breaker]

For the first time in a long time, the Blackhawks will be playing hockey past mid-April.  We’ll have plenty of coverage throughout the series, but here are some bullet thoughts to get you prepared. 

• The two teams couldn’t be entering the series on much different streaks.  The Blackhawks had looked like they were heading for a late season collapse a few weeks ago, but they are now 7-2-1 in their last ten games, including a sweep of the home-and-home series with Detroit to end the season.  The Flames were the team that went for that whole collapse thing.  They had a huge lead on Vancouver for the division and blew it down the stretch.  A team that looked like it made all the right moves at the deadline suddenly just looks dead. 
• The Hawks also dominated the season series with the Flames, winning all four of their match-ups.  Only one of those contests went into overtime, making it a pretty dominant season for Chicago over Calgary.  You know what they say though, it’s hard to beat a team eight times in one season. 
• Aside from those two points, this will not be an easy series for the young Blackhawks.  Calgary has plenty of playoff experience and they still have the big names like Iginla, Langkow, Phaneuf, and Kiprusoff that have led them to so many playoff appearances in the last few seasons.  They have also added stars like Mike Cammalleri who leads the team in goals with 39, and deadline aquisition Olli Jokinen. 
• After going to the Stanley Cup Finals in ’04, the Flames have been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs every season though, so while those guys have experience of being in the playoffs, those experiences haven’t been too memorable lately.  The Hawks meanwhile have very little experience, which tends to happen when there are only a few players on your team in that are in their late-20s or older. 
• The crowd is going to be crazy.  It’s going to be so loud in the United Center tomorrow night and that should give the young Hawks a bounce in their step.  That’s a good thing, because with the young team, it is even more important to get off to a good start.  A bonus for Chicago is that they have a player with experience in the most important spot on the ice: between the pipes.  Nikolai Khabibulin is back to his mid-season form after recovering from his injury and is one of three Hawks with a Stanley Cup ring. 

So it’s the youth and talent of the Hawks against the experience and physical play of the Flames.  Should be an excellent series because I think the dominance by Chicago during the season will be evened out by their inexperience.  Chicago actually comes in a little bit healthier than Calgary as the Hawks will get Patrick Sharp back and the Flames are battling some late season bumps and bruises in the form of wonderfully vague hockey injuries.  The Blackhawks are making their first playoff appearance since 2002, so while this is absolutely a team capable of a run deep into the playoffs, just getting here and gaining some experience for the youngsters is great progress.   

Game 1 is Thursday night at 7:30 CT.

The Blackhawks squandered a lead and wasted a good first period last night and fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 at the United Center.  The Hawks still get one point for the loss, putting them at 100 for the season; four ahead of Calgary and Vancouver in the quest for home ice in the first round.

All three teams have two games left, but the Hawks have a much tougher task than their Canadian counterparts.  Chicago ends the season with a home and home against Detroit, while Calgary and Vancouver play teams that will be staying home for the playoffs.

The good news for Chicago is that things have to go perfectly for both of those teams for the Hawks to have to go on the road next week.  As long as they finish ahead of either Calgary or Vancouver, the Hawks will host the lower seeded of those two in the first round.  That means that both Calgary and Vancouver will have to win their remaining games, while the Hawks will have to lose both to the Wings in regulation.

While Chicago hasn’t beaten Detroit yet this season, the first two of the four meetings ended in shootouts.  The Hawks just need to push one of the two games to overtime to secure home ice.

Last night’s game was a disappointing loss, because the Hawks had the lead and played some good hockey.  Khabibulin played well again and made one amazing save in the third period on what looked like a sure goal.  Dave Bolland also should have been awarded a penalty shot in the last minute of OT when he got behind the Blue Jacket defense and was dragged down right in front of the net.  The penalty was called, but a minor penalty was awarded instead of the shot.  Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference, since the Hawks were 0 for 3 in the shootout anyway, including the last miss by Bolland.

Here are the games to watch the rest of the week (all times central):

• Hawks- Saturday at Detroit, 2PM; Sunday vs Detroit, 1PM.
• Canucks- Tonight vs L.A., 9PM; Saturday at Colorado, 2PM.
• Flames- Friday at Edmonton, 8PM; Saturday vs Edmonton, 9PM.

So no matter what, the Hawks will have a chance to make their own bed on Sunday afternoon against Detroit on NBC.  Remember, the Hawks just need one point to clinch, and can also do so if Calgary or Vancouver fails to win any one of their games.  One last note: if the Hawks don’t get a point and the other teams both get the max of four, the Hawks will not get home ice based on the first tiebreaker of most wins.

The Blackhawks fell behind 1-0 in the first period last night in Nashville, but it didn’t take them long into the second period to turn the game around.  Just 12 seconds into the period, Jonathan Toews scored on a break to tie it up, and Dustin Byfuglien gave the Hawks the lead with a goal of his own 38 seconds later. Patrick Kane added another in the same period and when Martin Havlat hit an empty netter late in the third, the Blackhawks secured a 4-2 win.

That’s four wins in a row for Chicago during a streak in which they clinched a playoff berth.  With a win tonight against Columbus the Blackhawks can secure home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.  They’re in great position to accomplish that anyway, being up three points on both Calgary and Vancouver with two games each left for the teams chasing the Hawks, who have three games left.

All the Hawks need to do is finished ahead of one of these teams for home ice advantage, but to guarantee it, they need 101 points, meaning one win, or two overtime losses in their last three to clinch.  The most Calgary and Vancouver can end up with is 100, but things won’t look good in the win category (first tiebreaker) for Chicago if all three teams tie there.

Bottom line is it’s important to win tonight because the last two for Chicago are against the Wings, while Calgary and Vancouver have all their remaining games against teams that will miss the playoffs.  Don’t be surprised if those Canadian teams end up with 100 points each, so Chicago better end up with 101.  Big game tonight then at 7:30 in the United Center.

With the Red Wings loss to St. Louis last night the Blackhawks will have a chance to clinch a playoff position tonight against Nashville at the United Center.

It’s been seven years since the Blackhaws graced the post-season and that much-too-short campaign ended with a 4-1 first round loss to St. Louis.  The Hawks also made the playoffs in the ’96-’97 season, but lost to Colorado in the first round.  Their last playoff series win was in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs against Calgary.

So yeah, it’s been a little while.  I think it’s great that they get a chance to win this for themselves tonight.  Not that they didn’t do the work all season, but it just seems right this way.  Now the Hawks just need to take care of business against the Predators tonight.  Even an overtime loss would clinch a playoff berth by the way.

The potential clincher is at 7:30 tonight.  If you’re going to the game, cheer like hell; if you’ve got no plans, watch the game; and if you can’t, just make sure you at least glance for the score.  If you’ve never experienced playoff hockey, I promise you you’ll be glad if you give it a chance in a couple weeks.