Blackhawks 2, Senators 0

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Lineup   Photo Gallery   Game Highlights   Huet Stops a Breakaway   Patrick Kane   Joel Quenneville

After their seven-goal offensive explosion Sunday night, the Blackhawks shifted gears and played one of their best defensive games of the year, blanking the Ottawa Senators 2-0 Wednesday.

The win was goaltender Cristobal Huet’s first shutout since March 29 against Florida when he was with Washington.

“[Huet] played great and you can tell that he’s getting more confident as the season goes on,” said Patrick Kane, whose goal in the first period proved to be the game-winner. “It’s good to have him get the shutout - he’s played great the last couple of games.”

The highly-contested victory showcased the Blackhawks’ impressive special teams units: Kane’s power play goal, a wrist shot that skipped over Senators goalie Martin Gerber, was the difference in the game, and the Hawks made that goal stand up through a great all-around effort on the penalty kill. The Hawks survived Ottawa's 5-on-3 man-advantage late in the first period and Ottawa went 0-for-6 overall on the power play.

“We did a good job tonight,” said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. “They had the 5-on-3 [advantage] for a long time in the first period; it was a big hurdle to overcome.”

Huet stopped 23 shots to earn his first shutout in a Blackhawks sweater. In his last two games, he’s saved 42 of 43 shots on goal.

“It feels great to get the shutout,” Huet said. “It was a tight game and we didn’t give them much. The [penalty kill] was great against their dangerous first line.”

“It was a heck of a hockey game; hard-fought and very important to us,” said Quenneville. “Huet had a spectacular night; he had five significant saves and a couple of them were on the PK.”

Though he scored the winning goal, Kane was also whistled for three high-sticking penalties in the game, drawing eight penalty minutes. Quenneville said the numerous penalties were unacceptable, but working to decrease those calls is part of Kane’s maturation as a player.

“He was on the scoresheet a lot,” Quenneville said jokingly. “We need him on the ice, and we don’t want to see him take penalties. Obviously eight penalty minutes is too many, but you learn from it and you appreciate what he can do.”

The Blackhawks play four of their next five games on the road, starting with an away game in Colorado on Friday night.