Quenneville says he will 'discuss' goalie situation

It sure is an interesting time for the Blackhawks to have goaltending issues.

Look who's coming to town Wednesday - none other than Nikolai Khabibulin with the Edmonton Oilers.

Cristobal Huet was struggling again Monday, getting pulled seven minutes into the first period after giving up 3 goals on 5 shots in a game the Hawks rallied to win 6-5 over Calgary.

Huet saw his save percentage drop to .830, which is among the worst in the NHL.

"We weren't very good in front of him, but at the same time we know our goaltending has got to be better," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

It will be interesting to see if Quenneville comes back with Huet against the Oilers or goes with Antti Niemi, who played well in relief Monday after a shaky start.

"We'll discuss it," Quenneville said, pointing out he'll likely use both goalies in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday.

Niemi gave up 2 goals on the first 3 shots he faced, including a soft bouncer off Olli Jokinen's stick from past the left circle.

Eager has concussion: Joel Quenneville confirmed Monday what had been reported, that left winger Ben Eager has a concussion.

"Ben's got some symptoms that are typically related to concussions and he's not ready to go," Quenneville said.

Eager, who has a history of concussions, hasn't played since the second game of the year against Florida in Finland. He memains sidelined indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Quenneville will continue to search for the same kind of production and energy Eager and Adam Burish delivered on the fourth line last season with Colin Fraser.

Tomas Kopecky and Jack Skille, recalled again from Rockford, skated with Fraser on Monday against the Flames.

Quenneville admitted the shuttling of Skille back and forth to Rockford likely would continue because of Skille's $1.25 million salary cap hit.

"That's his situation right now," Quenneville said.

Showing respect: Calgary winger Eric Nystrom paid the Hawks a compliment for the respect they earned last season by finishing with 104 points and advancing to the Western Conference finals.

"Chicago's one of the top teams in the league so, obviously, they're a benchmark," Nystrom told Calgary reporters. "If we want to be successful in this conference they are the teams we have to beat."

Tip-ins: Defenseman Jordan Hendry was a healthy scratch for the fifth straight game. ... Defenseman Aaron Johnson, acquired by the Flames last week from the Hawks, was a healthy scratch.