Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi Have Finally Solved Hawks’ Goaltending Problem

Cristobal Huet, not to be outdone by teammate Antti Niemi, shut out the St. Louis Blues 3-0. That’s the second shutout for Huet this year, but that’s not the important issue here.

What’s more important is I am seeing some really strong potential for a Stanley Cup championship this year now that it seems like the Hawks no longer have a goaltender problem.

Before the season started I had always stated the main problem the Hawks had this year was Huet and whether he could perform consistently. So far Huet has exceeded my expectations.

Huet was signed to a huge contract 4 year contract last season. Huet didn’t perform up to the fans expectations, and the Hawks’ management were yelled at for a bad signing, a signing that forced fan-loved goaltender Nikolai Khabibulan to be released.

But Huet shook off that year and has now won back many fans with what is shaping up to be an all-star year. Huet is 15-7-2 with a very impressing 2.09 GAA, 4th in the NHL.

Huet playing well couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hawks. This is the year for the Hawks, and if they don’t capitalize on it they might not have a better chance for years to come. It’s no secret that the Hawks are in a salary cap problem that will leave them no choice to release some talented players, such as Kris Versteeg or Patrick Sharp.

Instead of subcumming to such high expectations, the Hawks are embracing it. A run at the Cup, though it’s still very early, looks very likely for the Hawks. With both goaltenders playing their best hockey there is nothing stopping this team besides themselves. The Hawks’ offense is still sharing the wealth.  The Hawks became the last team to have a player reach 10 goals this season. Patrick Kane was that man.

The Hawks not only thrive offensively but also defensively. The Hawks boast the lowest GAA average of all NHL teams, allowing only 3 goals per game. Their power play unit is 3rd ranked, killing 85.4% of power plays.

Sure the numbers look good, but it all comes down to whether you win games. Luckily the numbers don’t lie for the Hawks. Those impressive numbers lead to a 21-8-4 record, propelling the Hawks to 2nd place in the Western Conference, 2 points behind the Kings. To me the most impressive stat is the Hawks have played the least amount of games in the whole Western Conference. They might be 2 points behind the Kings, but the Kings have played 4 more games than the Hawks.

Yes it’s looking really good for the Hawks this year, a year in which they must perform their best. This team has fans talking about them finally ending the 40+ year Stanley Cup drought. The Hawks have all the right pieces, and now they seem to have fixed their goaltending problem opening up an endless list of possibilities this year.

Catch the Hawks Friday as they battle an original six team, Boston Bruins in Chicago at 7:30pm cst.

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* – Cristobal Huet photo credit: Chicago Now

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