"Give Blackhawks veteran goaltender Cristobal Huet some credit. He didn't have to talk with the waiting media. He could have sidestepped it all and snuck off to the waiting bus bound for the airport.

But Huet didn't do that Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio, where he answered every question about his role in the Blue Jackets' 8-3 shellacking of the Hawks and how it affected his confidence and his chances for the No. 1 job in the playoffs.

''After a game like that, [my confidence is] not very high, obviously,'' Huet said. ''Maybe it's time for me to look back at what I've done in my career and focus on that and work harder.

''I'm looking for answers. It was pretty embarrassing the way the game went. The way I played is not acceptable.''

If Huet's confidence has dropped as far as his save percentage has recently, then coach Joel Quenneville should give the job to Antti Niemi right now and see how much he has in the tank for the playoff drive."