With 5 starts, Hawks coach puts his confidence in Niemi

When it comes to goaltenders Antti Niemi and Cristobal Huet, the actions of Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville speak louder than his words.

Quenneville doesn't need to publicly name Niemi his goaltender for the playoffs. The fact that Niemi has started five games in a row and nine of the last 10 is the only evidence anyone needs to know the 26-year-old Finn will be in the net when the playoffs open next week.

Quenneville saw all he needed to see last week when Niemi responded to three starts in four nights on the road by turning in big efforts in wins at Minnesota and New Jersey. He was just as strong in Sunday's 4-1 win over Calgary at the United Center.

If Quenneville was looking to pump up Niemi's confidence with an eye to the playoffs, he got the response he was seeking.

"I think he has a lot of confidence in the net," Quenneville said. "Guys get a little confidence when they get the net in consecutive games.

"The thing that you like about Antti is he doesn't get disturbed or disrupted. His approach is the same, very quiet, low key. I think this experience along the way is making him comfortable in the net."

Perhaps just as important is the confidence Niemi is giving his teammates that the big saves will be made at critical times.

"Antti has been great," Patrick Kane said. "He's really become a great goaltender in this league. It's fun when you can ride a guy like that, but the whole team is playing great."

Niemi is expected to make his sixth straight start Tuesday night in Dallas. With the Hawks now only 2 points behind San Jose in the chase for first place in the Western Conference, Niemi could have another heavy workload ahead of him this week.