Huet or Niemi, that's the question

It was a day off for the Blackhawks on Tuesday, which gave coach Joel Quenneville some additional time to ponder which goalie to start tonight against the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center.

Does Quenneville come back with Cristobal Huet in what could be a hostile environment in front of the home fans that booed him when he was pulled Monday after allowing 3 goals on 5 shots in the first seven minutes?

Or does rookie Antti Niemi get the call?

Quenneville hinted following Monday's 6-5 win over Calgary that with back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday, both goalies would get a start. The Hawks are in Nashville on Thursday night.

After a shaky start in relief of Huet, Niemi played well against the Flames. He gave up goals on 2 of the first 3 shots he faced, both soft, but it was his clutch stop on Olli Jokinen's breakaway with 12 seconds left in the first period that prevented Calgary from going ahead 6-1.

Huet's save percentage has dropped to .830 and Quenneville said after Monday's win that the Hawks' goaltending needed to be better.

No holding back: So what was Flames coach Brent Sutter's reaction after watching his team's colossal 5-goal collapse on Monday?

"When you're up in a game like that, you've got to be able to close the door," Sutter said. "We never pushed back. We had one guy push back and that was the captain (Jarome Iginla).

"It's a huge lack of mental toughness within the group. It says more and more about how much work needs to be done with this group. It's not just about structure or anything like that. It's about stuff between their ears."

Fight card: The scrap on Monday between Troy Brouwer and Jarome Iginla was only the Hawks' second fight in five games.

Radek Smolenak fought Detroit's Brad May last week. Smolenak since has been waived and claimed by Tampa Bay.

Making history: The Hawks had come back and won from a 4-goal deficit only three times before Monday's franchise-record comeback from 5 goals down.

The 4-goal comebacks came on Dec. 29, 1926 against Montreal; March 23, 1952 against the New York Rangers; and Feb. 1, 1989 against the Winnipeg Jets.