"A month ago, Cristobal Huet's status as the Blackhawks' top goalie was shaky. A bad start against the Calgary Flames and a bad goal against the Dallas Stars suggested he might not be the man to replace Nikolai Khabibulin.

Those fears are gone. Huet has won his last five starts and eight of his last 10, and he figures to face Khabibulin for the first time tonight when the Hawks battle the Edmonton Oilers.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville made no announcement about the starting goalie after practice Friday at Rexall Place, but he has stuck with Huet for the last month whenever there has been at least one day off between games. The Hawks last played Thursday, when they opened their six-game trip with a 7-1 romp against the Flames in which Huet was brilliant.

The Oilers are an injury-riddled team that hasn't given Khabibulin much support. Only two goalies have faced more than the 602 shots Oilers opponents have fired at Khabibulin, who signed a four-year contract with the team in July. He has started 18 of the Oilers' 21 games, compiling a 7-9-2 record, a .909 save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average.

Despite the slow start, Huet is 10-4-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.17 GAA.

''I'm still taking it one game at a time,'' Huet said. ''I don't want to get ahead of myself.''"