Tuesday’s Three Stars: Huet, Hossa, Versteeg All Shine in Victory

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

At long last, the Blackhawks have returned home.

They celebrated their homecoming with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at the United Center. They also debuted their new 3rd jerseys, and Marian Hossa made his home debut with the Blackhawks.

Brent Seabrook, game winner scorer (Pam Rodriguez)

On this night of firsts, the story seemed fairly similar to what happens most times the Jackets and Hawks play each other. It was a tight game throughout on the scoreboard, but the tempo for much of the game was dominated by the Hawks. They controlled the puck almost identically to the way they did against San Jose, and their opportunities were always high quality. It took some masterful goaltending by Steve Mason to keep Columbus in the game.

The same can be said of Cristobal Huet. He did allow three goals in the contest, but he kept his composure, and really fixed an icy glare on the Jackets as the game wore on to his conclusion. The cold-blooded stare was a bit disconcerting, but it illustrated rather effectively how “in the zone” Cristobal was tonight.

Kris Versteeg’s goal was a thing of beauty. He faked out not one but two Jackets defenders with toe drag moves, and he fired a wrister past Mason to net a short-handed goal. This tally not only gave the Chicago a 1-0 advantage, but also improved their total to six short-handed goals this season, best in the league.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp also added goals for Chicago, and Hossa had two assists in the game.

When the shoot-out came along, it went on. And on. And on. Finally, after 10 rounds and only one goal apiece, Brent Seabrook skated onto the ice. ”For a defenseman, you get out at center ice and it’s definitely a different feeling,” Seabrook told nhl.com. He didn’t seem to let the pressure get to him, and he delivered his third game winning tally of the season.

500 Wins for Q (Pam Rodriguez)

Granted, this one didn’t count for his stats, but it goes to show that Seabrook, who isn’t known as much of a scorer, certainly can step up at big moments.

With that, here are tonight’s Three Stars:

Honorable Mention: Joel Quenneville

It was quite a big day for the owner of the foremost mustache in Chicago. He was ranked number two on Puck Daddy’s list of the 10 Best Coaches of the Decade, and he won his 500th career game tonight against the Blue Jackets. Congrats go to the Q-Stache on his excellent day, and much success in the future.

Third Star: Marian Hossa

He may have left the United Center the last time he was there to a chorus of boos for his demolition of the Hawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, but he returned in a Hawks uniform tonight and was greeted with deafening cheers.

Hossa had an outstanding game, keeping the offensive pressure on the Jackets, and he got two assists in his home debut. He did earn second star honors from the media at the game, but he 0nly gets third star honors here because of the insanely clutch performance in the shoot-out of our number two star:

Second Star: Cristobal Huet

Jonathan Toews (Pam Rodriguez)

Three goals given up during the regulation time, and Huet was pretty much in line to earn nothing but a rebuke from the media.

Once the extra frame started, however, Huet was absolutely unstoppable. Other than a single goal that he allowed in a ridiculous 11 rounds of shoot-out, he made every single save that he needed to. He stood on his head and gave the Blackhawks a chance to win, delivering one of the more clutch performances of his career. He did it with such ease, and with such cold-bloodedness, that he reminded me of an assassin performing a job. He snared shots with nothing more than a gentle flick of the wrist, he dropped to the ice and flashed pads quickly, and he squared up every shooter like Ali squared up opponents in the ring.

Huet may not be the best goaltender in the league, but if tonight was any indication, he might just be one of the best at his position in the conference.

First Star: Kris Versteeg

Generally, a transcendent performance like Huet’s would be rewarded with a First Star, but it has to go to Versteeg tonight.

His goal in the first period is going to rank as one of the best of the season for this team, and it underscores how valuable the young winger has become. He is being relied upon by the Hawks to not only play an up-tempo coast to coast game, but he is also emerging as one of the more important defensive weapons as well. His emergence as a threat on the other side of the puck is certainly welcome news, and shows the maturity level that this team is achieving.

The Blackhawks will next take to the ice on Friday night when they take on Nashville at the United Center. The game starts at 7:30pm CST, and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Tags: Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Cristobal Huet, Joel Quenneville, Jonathan Toews, kris versteeg, marian hossa, Patrick Sharp, Puck Daddy, Steve Mason