When the NHL returned from its self imposed hiatus that was the 2004-05 lockout, the Chicago Blackhawks and general manager Dale Tallon attempted to buy success on the ice with a mix of veterans and inexperienced youth. Unfortunately, the Hawks badly misread the league’s changed landscape, where speed and skill became all the rage. In place of those attributes, Chicago filled its roster with the likes of Adrian Aucoin, Matthew Barnaby, Curtis Brown, Jassen Cullimore, Jim Dowd, Martin Lapointe, Todd Simpson, and Jaroslav Spacek. Of those eight signings, only Lapointe and his bloated contract remain with the team. However, the biggest coup for Tallon in that post-lockout summer was landing goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to a four-year, $27 million contract.

Prior to the lockout, the "Bulin" Wall was last seen on the ice hoisting the Stanley Cup with his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates. He sparkled in net during that 2004 playoff run, posting a 1.71 GAA with a 0.933 save percentage. His regular season totals for his three full years in Tampa were impressive as well: a 2.39 GAA, 0.914 save percentage, and 14 shutouts. By winning the Khabibulin sweepstakes, Tallon attempted to build from the net out, giving his young team a steadying force between the pipes as the very raw talent got its collective feet wet in the NHL.

Eighteenth-century Scottish poet Robert Burns’ oft-quoted, “The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry” likely wasn’t intended to illustrate 21st century hockey free agent signings, yet it’s an apt description of Khabibulin’s history in Chicago. Injuries derailed part of his first two seasons, and when he wasn’t hurt, his play suffered from overuse. The "Bulin" Wall has maintained his health thus far into the 2007-08 campaign, but his results have been as inconsistent as the prior two seasons.

Since donning the Indian Head, Khabibulin has delivered a remarkably unimpressive 3.01 GAA, 0.896 save percentage, and only one shutout. That last stat – one shutout in two-plus seasons – perfectly encapsulates the team’s disappointment with Khabibulin. He can make many saves, and some even in spectacular fashion, but he just can’t do it for a full 60 minutes.

Khabibulin was solid more often than not for the first three months this season. The Blackhawks finally surrounded him with a talented supporting cast, and he was able to steal a game or two for the team when they probably didn’t deserve to win. As injuries have mounted now and decimated the Hawks’ regular lineup, the team needed Khabibulin more than ever to keep its promising season afloat. Unfortunately, he has not delivered. The last two weeks have seen Chicago’s high-priced goaltender consistently allow weak goals, many of which came at inopportune times to kill the team’s momentum. The results have been disastrous: pointless in his six 2008 starts with a 3.47 GAA and 0.867 save percentage. Chicago’s only three points in January have come with backup Patrick Lalime in net, which may become the norm until the Bulin Wall can repair the structural damage to his confidence.

The Week Ahead

Lalime had a strong game in net on Sunday night, leading the Blackhawks to a 3-2 shootout victory at Nashville. The win snapped the team’s eight-game skid since the end of December and gave everyone in the locker room a much-needed shot of confidence. All indications are that Lalime will be back in the starting lineup to face St. Louis at the United Center on Wednesday night. After which, the Hawks will play 10 of their next 11 games on enemy ice – making finding a solution to Khabibulin’s woes even more pressing.

Congratulations

Congratulations to third year defenseman Duncan Keith on being named a reserve for the Western Conference All-Star team. The honor is well deserved, as he has been the team’s most consistent defenseman throughout the season. Keith is always on the ice against the opposition’s best players and still leads the team with a +14 plus-minus rating.