"It's much too early to tell if the Blackhawks made the right decision last summer in signing Marian Hossa to a long-term contract and allowing Martin Havlat to move on to the Minnesota Wild.

The decision didn't look like a bad one Monday night, though, when the Hawks shut down Havlat en route to a 3-1 victory at the United Center.

Havlat was a minus-2 and got off only one shot -- that one on his first shift.

''He's a tremendous player, and a big key for them,'' said Hawks center Dave Bolland, who scored the first goal for the Hawks. ''You can't let him wander alone. You've got to finish your checks on him.''

The Hawks did that, but the difference -- for the second straight game -- was goaltender Cristobal Huet. He had held opponents scoreless for five straight periods before Andrew Brunette scored 3:29 into the third period."