Making his first start since March 13, Chicago netminder Cristobal Huet didn’t exactly enamour himself to the Blackhawks coaching staff, which is trying to figure out who’d be the team’s No. 1 goalie going into the playoffs.
Huet was lit up Thursday night in an embarrassing 8-3 loss to the Blue Jackets. The poor performance — one of many this season — likely means the starting job now belongs to Antti Niemi.
Huet wound up giving up seven goals on 27 shots — he was pulled for a brief time in the second period but came back to suffer more in the third.
“I’m not going to look for any excuses or anything,” Huet said to the Chicago Daily Herald. “It was just bad, really.
“Maybe it’s time to look back on what I’ve done in my career and focus on that and work hard, obviously.”
Bettman supports rule change
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stood by chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell in a press briefing in Buffalo, N.Y., on Friday while also saying the NHL’s new rule on blindside hits was necessary.
“I hated that hit (Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke on Boston’s Marc Savard), as I think most people did, but I think that was the hole in the rules,” Bettman said. “(The rules) had to be addressed. If any benefit came from (that hit) — I’m not suggesting there was — it showed people exactly what had to be done.
“I think Colin Campbell does a very good job. He has a very good feel and understanding of the game. No two incidents are identical, but I think he has been very consistent.”
Kovalev might play against Panthers
The uncertainty over Alex Kovalev’s health continued Friday as Ottawa Senators coach Cory Clouston said it was “possible” he could play Saturday night at Scotiabank Place against the Florida Panthers.
Clouston provided few details on what exactly has been bothering the right-winger, who skipped Friday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. On Thursday, the Senators announced that Kovalev was nursing a “lower-body injury.”
Kovalev played to the end of Tuesday’s 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers and practised with the Senators in Ottawa on Thursday morning.
“I’m not going to say whether it has affected him as a player or not, but it has been bothering him for a while,” Clouston said Friday.
Kovalev ranks third on the team with 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists), but hasn’t produced a single point in 11 games since returning from the Olympic break.
Lalime waiting for his chance
Patrick Lalime continues to play the role of good soldier while serving as the backup to Buffalo Sabres star No. 1 netminder Ryan Miller, meaning his chances to play, and win, are limited.
Lalime, who holds Ottawa Senators records for most career starts (283), victories (146), losses (100) and shutouts (30), is stuck at 199 career victories. His last win came Dec. 29 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“That’s why you play the game, to win, and whatever comes with it, that’s great,” said Lalime, who sports a record of 3-6-2 this season with a goals-against average of 3.02 and save percentage of .900. “I’m just looking to win games when I get a chance. The rest of it is just gravy on top.”
Lalime heard boos and sarcastic cheers upon making routine saves in his last home start, a 4-3 loss to Atlanta on March 16, but has kept his chin up.
“It’s part of hockey. It happens. When you start winning, it goes the other way, so it’s all part of it,” he said.
Lidstrom enjoying yet another run
Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom joined the club in the 1991-92 season, the second what has become 18 consecutive Stanley Cup playoff appearances, the longest current streak of post-season activity by any team in the four major North American sports leagues (NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB). The Wings have been on the playoff bubble all season long and Lidstrom said it’s been an unusual experience for veterans of the team like himself.
“We’re in a different situation this year than we’ve been in the past,” said Lidstrom, whose club takes on the Minnesota Wild on Friday at Joe Louis Arena. “When you’re in the top three, you’re looking at who you might play in the playoffs, but you’re also getting geared up for the playoffs. We’re almost in the playoffs right now, where every game matters, every point matters. We have to get a lot of wins here in the home stretch to get in.
“This is a good way to get ready for it, even though you’re battling to get in the top eight. You’re just so focused for every game ahead. I enjoy the challenge. It is a different challenge than when you’re looking forward to the playoffs and kind of waiting for who you’re going to play.”
Thrashers close the door for good talk
’Tis the season for the closed-door meeting.
Not only did the Calgary Flames hold one Thursday after a debilitating loss to the Islanders, the Atlanta Thrashers followed suit with one of their own Friday morning.
The Thrashers’ playoff hopes took a whack this week with losses to Boston on Tuesday and Toronto on Thursday night.
“I’m disappointed and really dismayed,” coach John Anderson said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “After we played so hard this weekend to put forth an effort like that one, with the playoffs on the line, we have to be better. Collectively, we have to be better. And if we play like that, we’ll be out (of the playoff race) in two or three games from now.
“We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be smarter. We’ve got to play harder.”
Ice chips:
With eight games to go in the regular season, Washington’s already set a franchise mark for points in a season with 109. . . . The Rangers’ Erik Christensen is 18-for-34 for his career in shootouts. . . . The Capitals are 7-2-1 when Alex Ovechkin is out of the lineup. . . . Edmonton signed defenceman Jeff Petry to a two-year NHL entry-level contract Friday. Petry, the Oilers’ first choice, 45th overall, in the 2006 NHL draft, recently completed his third season with Michigan State University of the CCHA.
They said it:
“It wasn’t a great deja vu.” — Panthers GM Randy Sexton to the Sun Sentinel after seeing star forward David Booth helped off the ice after a hit to the jaw Thursday night against Montreal. Booth missed 45 games earlier in the season due to a concussion from a blindside hit.
“I would also like to say a special thank you to my teammate and friend, Sergei Gonchar. Sergei and his wife Ksenia welcomed me into their home and allowed me to live with their family since the extra room at Mario’s was already taken.” — Penguin Evgeni Malkin cracks them up in Pittsburgh while receiving the sportsmen of the year award given out by a local group.
“If it’s something to do with Avery, I don’t have anything to say.” — New Jersey’s David Clarkson telling reporters at NJ.com after a particularly infuriating game against the Rangers’ superpest.