Blackhawks split opening pair with Panthers

Now that was more like it.

The Chicago Blackhawks dominated the Florida Panthers today, winning 4-0 in Helsinki, Finland. And while the Hawks' skaters were dominant Friday as well, Chicago has just one win and one shootout loss to show for its trip overseas. That's because, in Friday's opener, Cristobal Huet was clearly the inferior goalie to Florida's Tomas Vokoun.

Antti Niemi was inferior to no one today. He was certainly helped by the Hawks' defense, but give him credit for playing very well and earning the shutout. Meanwhile, Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp all scored for the second straight day. Sharp, Byfuglien and Brian Campbell all scored on the power play, as the Hawks took full advantage of the Panthers' five penalties.

On Friday, I was almost as impressed with Chicago's skaters as I was today. They peppered 55 shots at Vokoun, while Huet faced just 24. Huet still allowed the same number of goals through (3) as Vokoun, while Vokoun made several more outstanding saves than the zero I remember Huet making. And Huet didn't make a single stop during the shootout.

All in all, it was about the start I expected from the Hawks. They certainly showed the promise that has made them a popular pick to win it all. They also showed their one potential Achilles Heel in Huet, who is the primary reason they come home with three points instead of four after they really took it to a very average Florida team.