Huet Blanks Preds 2-0

Christobal Huet silenced his critics for the time being and justified his coach's decision to start him at home against division rival Nashville last night, turning aside all 27 shots and earning his 21st career shutout while backstopping the hawks to a 2-0 win.

Huet was solid, and appeared more confident - his positioning was better, allowing him to save several redirected shots, which in the past would have beat him (reference the Detroit game where a pass deflected off Madden's skate and beat him low between the legs).  He didn't appear to go down as often, and he was more in control over his rebounds, at times giving none.  He was also fortunate on a couple of plays, one where he had committed to his right to make the original save, but the loose puck bounced toward the open net, with Sopel & Huet both diving back to clear it before it crossed the line amid a scramble in front.

The hawks skaters also helped - playing another solid game in their own zone, keeping the Preds to the outside for the most part, getting into shooting lanes to block or disrupt shots and providing good support around Huet's crease.  The PK went a perfect 4-4, though three of the penalties were again taken in the offensive zone - Ladd with a goaltender interference and Byfuglien again, twice nullifying Hawk powerplays with lazy interference/obstruction penalties in an attempt to open up lanes for his teammates.  The penalty killers, in particular John Madden (who wore an "A" with captain Toews' absence) did a good job - Madden even broke in alone with Bolland while shorthanded, however skated himself out of ice, not realizing Bolland was with him, allowing Ellis to effectively block the net when he tried to deke.

The Preds were missing Jason Arnott, one of the few Nashville forwards with size who could have created more problems in front for Huet & the hawks D. As it was, the Preds smaller forwards like Erat, Hornquist & Sullivan had difficulty establishing positions in the slot while Dumont, who had 5 pts in his previous game was ineffective as was their PP.

Brent Sopel played almost twice the minutes he has averaged so far this season and was solid in relief, paired most of the evening with Duncan Keith.  Sopel isn't going to make anyone forget the other right-handed shot Hawk Dman named Brent, but his veteran experience certainly came in handy last night.

Contrast that with Sopel's regular defensive partner Cam Barker, who despite the loss of Seabrook, played his usual 13+ minutes - it seems evident that coach Q also recognizes the defensive shortcomings of the 2004 3rd overall pick.  Barker, however, was instrumental on the hawks 2nd goal, where he got his point shot through to the net, with Ladd positioned perfectly for the screen and rebound which the prone Ellis promptly obliged, a slight variation of the hawks' first goal where Kane fired a shot on net from the left half boards, with Byfuglien in his usual place, there to clean up the garbage left by Ellis, reaching around the goaltender &  depositing it into the empty cage..

Hjalmarrson also seemed to step up his game, while playing his regular 20 minutes, with Hendry making up the other 10 minute gap left by Seabrook's absence.

Short term, the hawks will be able to get by with this arrangement, especially against teams like Nashville, Minnesota, Montreal, etc., that lack power forwards who can and do drive the net - however if Seabrook is out an extended period, it is doubtful that Sopel can be relied on to log big minutes effectively night after night, and the wear on tear on Keith from the added burden won't help either, especially against teams like Calgary, San Jose, Vancouver & Anaheim which are all on the itinerary of the hawks' annual circus road trip.

The upcoming week is a big one for the hawks in terms of racking up points while the getting is "good".  Minnesota & Nashville have struggled, and Montreal has also had its problems.  After that, the hawks head out to Phoenix & Colorado, which before the start of the season may have looked like "gimmees", but will be anything but.  Then four more at home, inlcuding LA, SJ & Colorado again before the monster 6 game, 10 day road trip out west, and the hawks schedule gets decidedly tougher.

Games this early in the schedule may not be "must" games, but if the hawks want to position themselves favorably heading into a tough stretch of their schedule, six points this week would help take some pressure off when the rubber meets the road (ice)..