Entering a playoff game in the third period to relieve an injured starter is something Blackhawks goaltender Cristobal Huet had coyly said he didn’t recommend. Losing a playoff game 6-1, giving up five goals and setting up a possible elimination game, probably wasn’t on Huet’s must-do list either.
“Every time you can learn from what you’ve done,” Huet said of his Game 4 performance against the Detroit Red Wings, who took a 3-1 series lead Sunday. “There’s certainly a lot of things I would like to improve on to get my game back. There is no room for error.”
Nikolai Khabibulin, who started throughout the playoffs until leaving Game 3 with a lower-body injury, did not practice on Tuesday. Coach Joel Quenneville did not rule out that Khabibulin would play Wednesday night, but Huet appears to be the goaltender most likely in charge of helping the Hawks avoid elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
“[It’s] going to be a game where we have to fight for our life,” Huet said. “We have to get better, myself first.”
Quenneville said he would see if Khabibulin could skate in the morning before the game at Joe Louis Arena, but he expects Huet to rebound.
“You’ve got to bounce forward and look at the next opportunity,” Quenneville said. “We expect if he plays, he’ll be fine.”
While sharing goaltending responsibilities with Khabibulin this season, Huet went 20-15-4.
Quenneville points to Huet’s last regular season game, a 4-2 win at Detroit in which he made 21 saves.
The Hawks would like to think of Sunday’s loss as an aberration for Huet. He allowed five or more goals three times during the regular season, including six goals in a 6-4 loss to Detroit on Jan. 1.
But during an eight-game Hawks’ winning streak in December, Huet contributed five wins, allowing only four goals.
One of his more memorable outings came in November, when he stopped 48 of 51 shots by Columbus in a victory.
But if he starts on Wednesday and doesn’t come up with a different result than the one in Game 4, that wreckage might be the lasting memory until next season — for Huet and the Blackhawks.
“We’re confident we can win,” Huet said, “and that’s going to be our mind-set.”
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Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville vs. Red Wings’ Mike Babcock
BLACKHAWKS AT RED WINGS
CHRIS KUC’S GAME 5 SPOTLIGHT
Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville
Position: Coach
Age: 50
2008-09: 45-22-11
Playoff experience: 103 games, 51-52 overall. Has guided two teams to the conference fi nals in 10 career Stanley Cup playoff appearances.
vs. Red Wings’ Mike Babcock
Position: Coach
Age: 46
2008-09: 51-21-10
Playoff experience: Has guided two teams to the Stanley Cup fi nals, including winning it with the Red Wings last season.
What to watch: The coaches have to approach Game 5 from two different directions. Quenneville has to keep a young team on the brink of elimination disciplined after a Game 4 in which it drew 56 penalty minutes. “I have to make sure we’re focused and concentrating on the right things,” Quenneville said.
Babcock must ensure his veteran group doesn’t look ahead to the Stanley Cup finals and take the Hawks lightly. A loss would bring the series back to the United Center for a Game 6. “You’ve got to win four in a series to move on,” he said. “We’re real hopeful we’re going to be able to close out the Hawks, but they’re a good team.”
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sryan@tribune.com
