Huet getting on a roll
Goalie the difference again; Kane clinches it with spectacular goal
It's much too early to tell if the Blackhawks made the right decision last summer in signing Marian Hossa to a long-term contract and allowing Martin Havlat to move on to the Minnesota Wild.
The decision didn't look like a bad one Monday night, though, when the Hawks shut down Havlat en route to a 3-1 victory at the United Center.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
Havlat was a minus-2 and got off only one shot -- that one on his first shift.
''He's a tremendous player, and a big key for them,'' said Hawks center Dave Bolland, who scored the first goal for the Hawks. ''You can't let him wander alone. You've got to finish your checks on him.''
The Hawks did that, but the difference -- for the second straight game -- was goaltender Cristobal Huet. He had held opponents scoreless for five straight periods before Andrew Brunette scored 3:29 into the third period.
Huet made 20 saves and had plenty of help from Hawks penalty-killers. Minnesota, which lost its eighth straight road game, a franchise record, was 0-for-6 with the man-advantage.
The Hawks did all these good things without Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook again. Both stars are nursing concussion-like symptoms and missed their second straight game. They attended this one, but didn't get close to the media.
Still, the Hawks again played well without them and kept ex-teammate Havlat quiet in the process.
Havlat led the Hawks in scoring last season with a career-high 77 points but had a series of shoulder problems. Ironically, Hossa hasn't played a game for the Hawks because he needed offseason shoulder surgery. He's not expected to play until late November.
''Part of our business is change,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Guys move around a bit. [Havlat] had a real good year for us last year, and he'll help [Minnesota]. But at the same time Hossa is going to help us in a significant way as well. Over the course of the season I'm sure we'll enjoy him being part of our team.''
Time will tell, but the United Center fans hadn't forgotten Havlat. He received a smattering of applause during pregame introductions while the other Minnesota starters were greeted with silence.
Havlat put on a dazzling move on his first shift, but Huet stopped his shot. The Hawks were ready for him, and he wasn't much of a factor the rest of the night.
''He can make a difference one-on-one and sometimes even one-on-two,'' Huet said. ''We knew how great a player he is.''
Bolland scored on a rebound off the pads of Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom midway through the first period after Andrew Ladd took the first shot, and the lead grew to 2-0 five minutes later on Troy Brouwer's power-play goal
Duncan Keith set the stage with a shot off Backstrom, and Tomas Kopecky's screen set up an opening for Brouwer. He scored the first Hawks goal with the man advantage in four games, ending their 0-for-9 slumber of the last three games.
After Brunette's goal cut the lead to 2-1, the Hawks restored the two-goal lead on a brilliant score by Patrick Kane. Showing spectacular stickwork, he skated from behind the net, then beat Backstrom with a spin move in blasting the puck into the upper right corner of the net.
Kane said it was a move he works on during practice.
''I was waiting for a pass,'' Bolland said, ''but I knew it wasn't coming. That was a tremendous shot.''
BLACKHAWKS 3, WILD 1