Coach Q: Niemi 'deserves a chance to play'

CALGARY, Alberta -- When it has come to naming a starting goaltender this season (specifically, Antti Niemi), Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has made his decisions based largely on the schedule and not performance.

That changes Thursday night when Niemi starts against the Flames at the Saddledome.

Niemi is coming off a sensational outing in Sunday's 4-3 victory at Detroit, and the struggling Cristobal Huet admittedly wasn't very good in Tuesday's 4-1 loss at Ottawa.

"I like to think I'll play my share of games, but the way he's been playing, after a game like I played (at Ottawa), they deserve to play him," Huet said after practice Wednesday.

Huet, still the No. 1 goalie, finds himself in a rough stretch again. In three of his last four starts (minus the 3-0 shutout of Columbus on Jan. 14), he has allowed 15 goals.

Quenneville was asked if his decision to start Niemi against the Flames was based on performance or the rotation he set up before heading out on the road for eight games.

"I'm going to say this is probably one of the games we were looking at that could go either way," Quenneville said.

Based on how Quenneville has used both goalies, it's fair to assume Huet likely would have started again Thursday night as the No. 1 guy had he been playing better.

"Antti is playing well, so I think he deserves a chance to play and that's more so," Quenneville said. "I think we have a rotation going and sometimes you might change it. We've been pretty consistent to how we've looked at our scheduling and the number of games and the opponents and the cities.

"We're pretty well on track the way we looked at it going into this trip and how we're doing it, but at the same time we can be flexible, and if we have to be, we will."

Huet is 22-9-3, but his save percentage is just .904 compared to Niemi's .921.

While the Hawks were flat as a team in the loss at Ottawa, Huet pointed the finger at himself.

"That was a tough game for me from start to finish, really," he said. "In the first period, giving up 2 goals and we come back 2-1, then giving up that third one and the fourth one, just a terrible game from me.

"Not a lot of shots (18). I tried to stay focused and do my best, but things weren't going my way."

It was the goal by Peter Regin on a wraparound that was the worst, coming when it did in the second period after Marian Hossa had brought the Hawks within 2-1.

Regin went from the right side to the left behind the net and beating a slow-arriving Huet on a backhand.

"I was out of position and took myself out of it," Huet said. "I was a little bit impatient."

Huet was back working on his game in practice Wednesday and saying he doesn't think there is anything technically wrong.

"You don't lose technical points just like that," Huet said. "You have to execute and read and react, and if the timing is wrong the puck might wind up in your net.

"For me, it's just a matter of regrouping and making sure I have that timing and get back a little confidence here."

Hawks @ Calgary FlamesTime: 8:30 p.m., ThursdayTV: Comcast SportsNetRadio: WGN 720-AMWhat to watch: Both teams are coming off losses they called the worst of the season. But the Hawks' 4-1 loss at Ottawa on Tuesday was mild compared to Calgary's 9-1 whipping at the hands of the Sharks on Monday. Flames star Jarome Iginla has no goals in the last nine games. The Flames have lost five straight and are 2-10 against the Hawks over the last two seasons, including the playoffs.Next: Vancouver Canucks at GM Place, 9 p.m. Saturday.