Cristobal Huet
Blackhawks Playoff Hockey Starts Tonight!
Friday, April 16th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
Are you ready for NHL playoff action? You better be – the Blackhawks take on the Predators tonight at the United Center. Look for the Hawks to come out firing on all cylinders in front of their home fans tonight. I cannot wait!
The Blackhawks led the season series 4-2. The teams did not combine for more than 5 goals in any of the 6 games. Although the Blackhawks struggled after the Vancouver Olympics, the team used a 6-game winning streak at the end of the season to hold on to the 2nd seed in the West, just 1 point behind the #1 seed San Jose Sharks. The Predators won 16 of their 21 games after the Olympics break to qualify for the post-season. Interestingly, both goalies – Antti Niemi for the Hawks and Pekka Rinne for the Predators – will be making their post-season debut. Niemi took over the #1 goalie job for the Blackhawks from Cristobal Huet. Head Coach Joel Quenneville has said that Niemi’s laid-back attitude made it an easy decision for him to make. Niemi finished the season with a stellar26-7-4 record and a 2.25 goals against average. It helps that the Blackhawks have perfected a puck-possession type style of play. The Blackhawks avareged 34.1 shots on goal during the regular season – an NHL high. In addition, they also allowed the fewest shots on goal during the regular season – only 25.1 shots. If that’s not a devastating combination, I don’t know what it is.
The Hawks had one of the league’s best home records – 29-8-4 – during the regular season. The Predators have not won a single road playoff game in franchise history – a streak of 10 games. Looks for the Hawks to race out to a 2-0 advantage this weekend in Chicago. Go Hawks!
A Night to Forget for Chicago Sports Fans
Friday, March 26th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA, NHL, Sports | 2 Comments
It was a night to forget for Chicago sports fans as the Blackhawks lost to the Blue Jackets 8-3 in Columbus while the Bulls fell to the Miami Heat 103-74 at the United Center. Talk about 2 bad, embarrassing losses…
Cristobal Huet blew his shot in goal by allowing 7 goals on 27 shots on net. While Head Coach Joel Quinneville didn’t praise Huet, he also indicated that the rest of the team played poorly as well. It was the worst loss of the season for the Blackhawks – the 4-goal 2nd period for the Blue Jackets didn’t help. The Blackhawks trail the San Jose Sharks by 1 point for the top seed in the Western Conference, but they did clinch a playoff spot when the Calgary Flames lost to the New York Islanders later that night.
Back in Chicago, the Bulls looked lackluster in a disappointing loss to playoff contender Miami Heat. The Bulls failed to gain ground on the Heat who are the 6th seed in the East. The Bulls played a horrible 1st half, trailing the Heats by 30 points (63-33) at the break. Ouch… Taj Gibson (12 points and 10 rebounds) and Derrick Rose (12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds) were the only 2 Bulls who had “respectable” nights. The Bulls trail the Toronto Raptors for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s hope both Chicago teams can back in the win column this weekend in Chicago. The Bulls take on the 8-win New Jersey Nets on Saturday night at the United Center, while the Blackhawks get a chance at redemption against the Blue Jackets when the 2 teams square off on Sunday night…
Blackhawks Emerge from Post-Olympics Funk with Big 5-2 Win over Oilers
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks emerged out of their post-Olympics funk with a 3-goal 3rd period that propelled them to a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on Wednesday night. It was a much-needed win after the Hawks looked lethargic in a 5-3 loss to the Islanders in Long Island on Tuesday night – the 1st game back since the team reunited.
The Blackhawks controlled the puck for much of the game – out-shooting the Oilers 47-14 on the night. The Hawks took 21 shots in the 2nd period scoring twice and they took 14 shots in the 3rd period scoring 3 times. Cristobal Huet played the entire game in net after replacing Annti Niemi the night before. Huet made 12 saves and notched his 25th win of the season. Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and an assist for the Hawks, while leading-Hawks-points man Patrick Kane added 2 assists in the win.
The Hawks are now tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with the San Jose Sharks. Each club has 89 points in 63 games played. Let’s hope the Hawks can keep up the momentum at home at the United Center as they host the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings during the next 3 games.
Blackhawks Back on Track with 3-1 Win over Flames; Is There a Goalie Controversey Brewing?
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 | Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks got back on track with a 3-1 win over the Flames in Calgary on Thursday night. After a lackluster performance by the Blackhawks in a 4-1 loss to the Senators on Tuesday night in Ottawa, it was good to see the entire team skate well last night. After a scoreless 1st period Patrick Kane got the Hawks on the board with his 21st goal of the season midway through the 2nd period. The Flames tied the game at 2 right at the end of the 2nd period, but Ben Eager’s 5th goal of the season put the Hawks up for good. Duncan Keith iced the game with an empty netter with less than a minute to play and the Blackhawks racked up their 35th win of the season.
Annti Niemi saved 19 of 20 shots on goal and improved to 13-3-1 overall in 17 games played. Niemi has a sparkling 1.85 goal against average. The Blackhawks starting goaltender Cristobal Huet performed poorly in the 4-1 loss to Senators. The Hawks defense limited the Senators to just 18 shots on goal, but Huet let 4 of them go by. Huet has started 36 games for the Hawks and is 22-9-3 with a 2.24 goals against average overall. After the game, Hawks critics throughout the NHL indicated that Huet might not have what it takes to lead the Hawks to a Stanley Cup title. Even former Hawks great Jeremy Roenick (now an NBC NHL analyst) echoed those sentiments on a local sports talk radio show with Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman on ESPN Radio 1000: “A lot of people say they are the best team in the NHL right now, I cannot argue that fact. Their youth, their enthusiasm, the only thing that everybody says, and I’m going to have to agree with them, is the goaltending situation… Can Huet bring them 16 games? I say no, I think he can probably get you through two rounds. To go 16 games, you need a goaltender that is going to stand on his head and is going to steal games… And Niemi is a good goaltender too, don’t get me wrong, they just need that one little extra boost in goal that I think that would make the guys more confident in front of him… They are still two good goaltenders, but I don’t know if they could do it for the full 16 wins.” Ouch.
Now Blackhawks teammates came to the defense of both Huet and Niemi this week, but it does beg the question. The Hawks have not brought a Stanley Cup trophy back to Chicago since 1961. With the team so close to achieving the ultimate goal, it makes you wonder if the Hawks brass brings in a “hired gun goaltender” that could help bring home the Cup if Huet continues to struggle down the stretch here. Huet will be back on goal against the Canucks in Vancouver on Saturday night. Think there will be any pressure on him?!
Blackhawks Off to Great Start on Road Trip
Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks did just what they needed to do on the start of their 8-game road trip with 2 wins over the weekend. The Blackhawks now have an NHL-leading 72 points! The San Jose Sharks are the only other team in the NHL with at least 70 points. The Blackhawks have opened up an 11-point lead in the West’s Central Division and they seem poised to take at least the 1st or 2nd spot in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs – 3rd seed Colorado has just 60 points.
After jumping out to 2-0 and 3-1 leads over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Saturday night, the Blackhawks had to claw their way back to get the 2 points on the road. The Hawks used a 3-goal 3rd period with 2 goals scored by Jonathan Toews to power the comeback. Cristobal Huet picked up his 22nd win of the season, although the defense didn’t make it easy on him. Huet stopped 21 of 26 shots on goal during the night.
Less than 24 hours later, the Blackhawks knocked off hated-rival Detroit Red Wings in Detroit in a 4-round shootout. Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp scored in the shootout to give the Blackhawks the win. Sharp had scored in the 2nd period of regulation giving the Hawks a 3-2 lead. Annti Niemi saved 35 of 38 shots on goal, as it was a rare night when the opponent outshot the Blackhawks during the contest (the Blackhawks managed just 29 shots on goal). After dropping the season opener to the Red Wings way back in October, the Blackhawks have defeated the Red Wings in each of the last 3 meetings.
Hawks fans are loving the success in Chicago – it’s been a long time coming and expectations for a Stanley Cup celebration at the United Center are growing strong…
Blackhawks Still Riding High Despite 2 Straight Losses
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
The Chicago Blackhawks still have the most points (66) in the NHL and are still sitting atop the Central Division of the Western Conference with a 9 point cushion. The Blackhawks suffered 2 losses over the weekend – the 1st time the team suffered back-to-back losses since the team lost to the Ducks in Anaheim and the Kings in Los Angeles on consecutive nights at the end of November. Both losses were frustrating. In Saturday night’s 6-5 OTL, the Blackhawks let a 5-1 3rd period lead slip away as the Wild outscored the hawks 4-0 in the final period. The team earned a point by losing in the shootout. The next night back at home, the Hawks outshot the Ducks 43 to 12, but 2 of the 12 shots found the net against Annti Niemi and the 3rd Ducks goal came on an empty netter. Hopefully these are games that the Blackhawks can learn from -the next time the Blackhawks have a big lead in the 3rd period, they’ll remember that they can’t let their feet off the gas pedal. They’ll also remember the significance of getting off to a good start each game – when you find yourself in a 2-0 1st period hole like they did against the Ducks on Sunday night, it’s often a very hard task to overcome.
The Blackhawks have 1 more home game this week before embarking on a season-long 8-game road trip. The Hawks play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at the United Center and then again on Saturday afternoon in Ohio. Then it’s a quick turnaround for the Hawks with a prime-time matinee affair against their hated rivals – the Red Wings – in Detroit on Sunday. Then they play the Ottawa Senators before heading west for a grueling trip against some tough teams – the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks with 1 game in between against the cellar dweller Edmonton Oilers team. The Hawks finish up the road trip with a game against the lowly Hurricane in Carolina on Saturday, January 30th. If the Hawks can get off to a good start with wins against the Blue Jackets, Red Wings and Senators, they should be able to finish the trip with a winning record. Let’s hope the team can rebound from the 2 losses with a solid effort on Thursday night in Chicago. Something tells me that Coach Joel Quinneville will have his team primed and ready to go.
Patrick Kane still leads the club with 19 goals and 52 points. Duncan Keith is 2nd on the team with 42 points. Jonathan Toews has 14 goals and 36 points while Patrick Sharp has 15 goals with 35 points. As for the goalies, starter Cristobal Huet has proven his worth during the 2009-2010 NHL schedule. Huet is 20-8-3 with a 2.17 goals against average and 3 shutouts. Annti Niemi leads the squad with a 1.84 goals against average. Niemi is has an 11-3-1 record with 4 shutouts.
Go Hawks!
Wins Just Keep on Rolling in for Blackhawks & Head Coach Quinneville
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks were thrilled to be back at home after a grueling 6-game west coast “Circus” road trip. Blackhawks fans were also thrilled as they were treated to an 11-round shootout – the longest shootout in Blackhawks’ history. Marian Hossa made his United Center debut (he had played in the Blackhawks’ final 3 games on the road) and scored in the 2nd round of the shootout to keep the Hawks alive. Cristobal Huet made 10 of 11 saves in the shootout round, and Brent Seabrook’s goal in the 11th round gave the Blackhawks the win. The Blackhawks have now won 8 straight games at home at the UC.
The win was also the 500th of Head Coach Joel Quinneville’s career. Quineville was “thrilled” with the achievement: “I’ve been in a lot of great places. I’ve been fortunate, worked with good teams and great players.”
The Blackhawks had a successful “Circus” road trip winning the 1st 4 games of the trip against the Flames in Calgary, the Oilers in Edmonton, the Canucks in Vancouver and then the Sharks in San Jose (the NHL’s best team). Although the Hawks dropped the final 2 games – 3-0 to the Ducks in Anaheim and 2-1 to the Kings in Los Angeles in a shootout – you can’t complain when you have a winning record on the road.
The Blackhawks are 17-6-3 with 37 points. They are tied with the Flames for the 2nd most points in the Western Conference. Only the Sharks (42 points) and Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins (38 points each) have more points in the NHL.
It has been a fantastic start for the Hawks thus far and with the addition of Hossa back on the ice, look for the Hawks to continue to gel over the next few weeks. 9 of their next 14 games during the month of December are at home in Chicago, so look for the Hawks to try to put a little distance between them and the rest of the good teams in the Central Division…
Blackhawks Hottest Team in Hockey – 7-Game Win Streak
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
I didn’t see it going this well, but so far, this young, talented Blackhawks team has dominated the “Circus Trip” with the quiet, confidence of a wily, veteran club. The Blackhawks are in the midst of a 7-game winning streak, including 3 for 3 on the first part of the annual Circus Trip through western Canada.
The Blackhawks defeated the Calgary Flames 7-1 in the 1st game of the trip and haven’t missed a beat since. Over the weekend, the Blackhawks rattled off wins on back-to-back nights in Edmonton (5-2) and Vancouver (1-0). In the Oilers win, the Blackhawks raced out to a 3-1 1st period lead on goals by Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane, and Cristobal Huet stopped 25 of 27 shots on goal to win his 6th straight start. In the Canucks win, defense was the name of the game. The Blackhawks managed just 17 shots on goal, but Bryan Bickell’s 1st goal since April 2007 ended up being the game winner just over 1 minute into the 3rd period. Antii Niemi had one of his best games as a starting NHL Goaltender, saving all 30 shots that the Canucks sent his way. Niemi & Co. shut down 6 Canucks power play opportunities.
The Blackhawks are now 15-5-2 and their 32 points are 2nd best in the entire NHL – the San Jose Sharks, the Blackhawks’ opponent on Wednesday night lead all teams with 36 points. The Blackhawks round out the Circus Trip with games against the Ducks (Friday 11/27 in Anaheim) and the Kings (Saturday 11/28 in Los Angeles), before returning home to face the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center on Tuesday December 1st. At this point, I predicted that a 3-win road trip should be considered a success, so if the Blackhawks can steal away another win or 2 the rest of the way, the Blackhawks will be sitting pretty…
Blackhawks Start Circus Road Trip Off with a Bang
Friday, November 20th, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
WOW – staring a difficult 6-game road trip to Canada and the west coast, the Blackhawks didn’t waste any time sending a message to the rest of the Western Conference. The Blackhawks could’ve gotten down after Olli Jokinen’s power play goal just 14 seconds into the 2nd period tied the game at 1. Instead, the Blackhawks used that lapse to motivate them, and the offensive unit exploded for 5 2nd period goals igniting a route of the Calgary Flames on their home ice. Kris Versteeg scored his 5th and 6th goals in the period. Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Patrick Kane scored the 3 goals in between Versteeg’s goals. Before the Flames knew it, the game was over.
Cristobal Huet maintained his hot goal-tending, saving 27 of 28 shots on goal.
The Blackhawks now have 28 points, tied for 3rd most in the Western Conference. They have now won 5 games in a row, and it’s off to Edmonton and Vancouver for back-to-back games over the weekend…
Blackhawks Lead Central Division; Gearing up for Circus Road Trip
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks are in a great position to start the 2009-2010 NHL schedule. So far so good for the up-and-coming beast of the West. With 26 points (12-5-2), the Blackhawks lead the Central Division of the Western Conference. The Blackhawks like the way they have started, but also know that they have a tough task at hand in the very difficult Western Conference. All but 3 teams in the conference already have at least 21 points – that means night in and night out, the Blackhawks will have to play at the highest level if they want to reach the Conference Finals for a 2nd consecutive year.
Patrick Kane has put his off-the-ice issues behind him (he was arrested over the summer in Buffalo for an altercation with a cab driver) and leads the teams in scoring with 7 goals and 12 assists. Patrick Sharp is 2nd on the team with 16 points (6 goals and 10 assists), while Duncan Keith is 3rd with 15 points (5 goals and 10 assists). Jonathan Toews has played at a high level as well – 2 goals and 7 assists – but needs to play a little more consistently as the season progresses. Kris Versteeg (4 goals and 8 assists), Troy Brouwer (5 goals and 4 assists) Brian Campbell (1 goal and 8 assists) and Brent Seabrook (team leader with a +/- of 9 with 2 goals and 7 assists), have all been key contributors for the Blackhawks early success this season.
Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi have shared the goal-tending duties for the Blackhawks in 2009. Huet has started 15 games, going 9-4-1 with a 2.25 goals against average. Huet has saved 90.2% of the shots on goal while he has been in the net. Huet overcame a rough start to the season losing 3 of his 1st 6 starts – he allowed at least 3 goals in 5 of those starts. He is on a hot streak – winning 5 of his last 6 starts – and he looks to keep it going on the upcoming trip.
Niemi has played in 5 games this season, going 3-1-1. He has a 2.22 goals against average and has saved 90% of the shots taken against him.
The Blackhawks expect to get their big free agent acquisition – Marian Hossa – back on the ice at some point during the upcoming Circus road trip. That should help the Blackhawks continue their strong play even away from the friendly confines of the United Center.
The “Circus Road Trip” (the United Center is being used for the annual Circus tour for the next 2 weeks) won’t be easy. With games at the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings over the next 10 days, the Blackhawks will have their work cut out for them. The Sharks, Kings and Flames each have at least the same number of points as the Blackhawks and the Ducks are the only team on the trip with a losing record. If the Blackhawks can somehow manage to win half of their games on the trip, Coach Quinneville and his staff should consider that a huge success.
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