Huet ready if needed
The last time goalie Cristobal Huet saw game action was March 25 in Columbus when he allowed 7 goals on 27 shots in an 8-3 loss.
Since then, rookie Antti Niemi has become the man while Huet has been relegated to a backup role.
But the veteran is more than ready if the call comes to get back out between the pipes.
"You never know in the playoffs what can happen," Huet said. "I just try to stay sharp and work hard and be prepared mentally for everything."
But how does a guy remain sharp after such a long period of inactivity?
Two words: Stanley Cup.
"There is no better time to do it than the playoffs," Huet said. "There is a big reward at the end of the road."
(No) home-ice advantage: If the initial returns from the 2010 playoffs are any indication, home ice won't necessarily guarantee happy crowds.
Wednesday's openers showcased a No. 8 seed (Colorado), a No. 7 seed (Philadelphia) and a No. 5 seed (Ottawa) earning intriguing road wins.
On Thursday night, No. 8 Montreal stunned top seed Washington 3-2 in overtime in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Host Buffalo avoided joining the club by edging No. 6 Boston 2-1.
Should the Hawks, as the No. 2 seed in the West, be more concerned than normal today as they open their series with Nashville?
"It doesn't really change my thought process," said Patrick Sharp. "There's a lot of talk about the upsets that happened (Wednesday) night, but to me they're not upsets. There's two good teams in every series."
Captain Jonathan Toews said he didn't watch much of the other series, primarily so he could focus on the Predators and avoid "hockey overload," but Andrew Ladd tuned in and got a kick out of the playoff stakes being raised immediately.
"It was fun to watch," Ladd said. "Some great hockey being played. It got everybody in here excited about Friday and wanting to get 'er going."
EA Sports curse: If video-gaming colossus EA Sports holds any sway, the Blackhawks are going to claim their first Stanley Cup since 1961.
That's how the virtual 2010 NHL playoffs turned out when EA Sports ran the matchups through its gaming systems.
"It's easy to get excited about something like that," Jonathan Toews said. "But you've got to tell yourself 'Who cares?' It really doesn't matter.
"The only thing that matters is who's hoisting the Cup at the end."
Toews has the right idea. EA predicted Boston would win last year's Cup - and the Bruins were bounced in the second round.
In 2008, EA proclaimed San Jose as its winner and the Sharks also were eliminated in the second round.
• Mike Spellman contributed to this report.