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Entries with the tag: Nikolai+Khabibulin
Khabibulin’s Game Can Be Better
by Paul on 10/06/09 at 08:43 AM ET
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from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,
Nikolai Khabibulin has had a stellar NHL career, but the new Edmonton Oilers goaltender concedes his work through training camp and the first league game has been spotty.
After an 18-save, 4-0 shutout in his first pre-season game against the Florida Panthers, he’s allowed 12 goals in his last 72 shots. It’s obviously early, and the alarm bells shouldn’t be going off, but he has to be better than that, for sure, if the Oilers want a playoff spot.
“There’s been some positives and some negatives ... right now it’s a little uneven,” said Khabibulin, who is one win shy of 300 for his career, which would put him in an exclusive club of only 24 NHL goaltenders.
“I haven’t played my best yet.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Oilers Thinking At Least One Point, But…
by Paul on 10/04/09 at 08:25 AM ET
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Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Khabibulin Gives Oilers A Comfort Zone
by Paul on 09/22/09 at 09:44 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
And while the Oilers had nothing but good things to say about the man that Khabibulin replaced, team captain Ethan Moreau concurred with the basic premise, suggesting: “Having Khabibulin here allows us to compete with Kiprusoff, Luongo, Backstrom – the elite goalies in our division and conference.
“It’s a daunting task every night because if you don’t get equal goaltending, it’s very hard to win. Goaltending is one of the only positions in hockey, where you can’t cover up your weaknesses. You can have smaller forwards, or if you don’t score enough, you can cover up your weaknesses with other strengths. But goaltending is a must and we have a guy that’s played at an elite level for a long time, so that does give us some comfort.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Khabibulin Plans To “Just Stop The Puck”
by Paul on 04/05/09 at 09:30 AM ET
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from Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune,
Nikolai Khabibulin is the most experienced of the Blackhawks and also the most stoic, but the goaltender is as excited as many of his younger teammates about the team’s first postseason appearance since 2002.
“I wish it would have happened sooner, but we finally made it,” Khabibulin said Saturday, one day after the Hawks clinched a Western Conference playoff berth. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Khabibulin, 36, joins Andrew Ladd and Sammy Pahlsson as the only Hawks who have won a Stanley Cup. Khabibulin, who helped Tampa Bay to the NHL championship in 2004, looks forward to using his experience to help the youngest team in the league adapt to postseason play.
“It’s easy for me; I just stop the puck,” said Khabibulin, who has a 31-25 record and 2.27 goals-against average in 57 playoff games. “It’s going to be a little more intense. We don’t have too many veterans here, but we have to make sure guys are not nervous and just stay calm.”
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Chicago Will Ride Khabibulin
by Paul on 03/20/09 at 03:11 PM ET
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from Tim Sassone of Between
The Circles, Coach Q said after Friday’s morning skate that it was time to ride goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, starting with Friday’s game against Edmonton.
“We want to get him playing games here,” Joel Quenneville said. “We need to give him the net for a while to get on a roll here. I think just prior to him getting hurt it looked like he was going to get the ball and go. The first time he got hurt the same thing.
“He’s positioned himself to get this opportunity and we’re going to rely on him to get the net.”
more on the Blackhawks…
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Khabibulin Returns Just In Time
by Paul on 03/15/09 at 09:43 AM ET
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from Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune,
In need of a boost to yank them out of their doldrums, the Blackhawks will turn to goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.
The veteran is scheduled to return to action Sunday when the Hawks host the New York Islanders at the United Center. Khabibulin hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury Feb. 11 in Atlanta.
With six losses in their last nine games, including three of four, the Hawks are looking for any spark. But Khabibulin knows he alone can’t bring a turnaround.
“You can’t expect one guy to change something like that,” Khabibulin said after Saturday’s practice in Bensenville. “It’s still a team, and we still have to do our jobs. If we’re all going to do our jobs, we should be in good shape.”
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Havlat Day-to-Day, Khabibulin Practices
by Paul on 03/10/09 at 03:39 PM ET
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from Chris Kuc of Icing at the Chicago Tribune,
“Havvy is day-to-day,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “He was much better today than when he left the game the other day.”
When I asked Quenneville if there’s a possibility Havlat could play Wednesday night when the Hawks host the Carolina Hurricanes, the coach paused and said: “I’ll say yes.”
There was some good news on the injury front as veteran goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin returned to practice. The veteran has been suffering from a lower-body injury.
more on the Blackhawks…
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Tags: Martin+Havlat, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Teams That May Have An Interest In Khabibulin
by Paul on 02/19/09 at 08:28 PM ET
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via Tim Sassone of Between the Circles at the Daily Herald,
Maybe this latest injury has the Hawks thinking hard again about trading Khabibulin before the deadline and going with Cristobal Huet, especially with Khabibulin set to walk in July as a free agent.
While the Hawks are better with Khabibulin in net, what good is he if he’s not on the ice?
Who needs a goalie? Philadelphia, for one. The Flyers are talking with Atlanta about Kari Lehtonen, but wouldn’t they rather have the playoff-tested Khabibulin?
Washington is looking for a goalie. So is Detroit, but the Hawks couldn’t do that. Could they?
Does Anaheim need a goalie? Just asking. The Ducks need some jolt.
Are the Canadiens happy with Carey Price?
I am really not sure where some of these “Detroit needs a goalie” rumors are coming from. Sort of makes you wonder how ‘connected’ writers are.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Sharp Out 2-3 Weeks
by Paul on 02/16/09 at 03:05 PM ET
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The Chicago Blackhawks announced today Patrick Sharp will miss 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury and Nikolai Khabibulin will not travel with Chicago on their Florida road swing.
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Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin, Patrick+Sharp,
Khabibulin Day-To-Day
by Paul on 02/12/09 at 12:54 PM ET
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from Len Ziehm of the Chicago Sun-Times,
Nikolai Khabibulin, who sparked the Blackhawks’ 3-1 victory at Atlanta on Wednesday night, suffered what the club termed a “lower body injury” in the late stages of that game and isn’t able to practice today....
The Hawks list Khabibulin as day-to-day and said that Cristobal Huet would start in goal on Friday when the Hawks visit the Blues to conclude at eight-game road trip. Whether Khabibulin will be available for Saturday’s home game against Dallas is uncertain.
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Chicago Should Move Khabibulin
by Paul on 01/22/09 at 05:28 PM ET
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from Tom Fornelli of NBC Chicago,
Nikolai Khabibulin has also played well while minding the net this season, but he’s in the last year of his contract, and the team actually tried to move him before the season. The fact he’s in the final year of his contract will make him more appealing to teams looking for somebody to help them make a playoff push—not to mention the fact he’s already won a Stanley Cup in Tampa—and that means the Hawks can get something they need in return. Whether that would be another scorer or a center—preferably someone whose both—or another enforcer to help protect Patrick Kane, we’d have to wait and see.
Losing Khabibulin wouldn’t be that big of a blow to the team either, as Corey Crawford has played very well for the Hawks AHL affiliate Rockford Icehogs this season, and would be more than capable as a backup.
The point is that while moving Khabibulin would be somewhat risky, with a young team losing a player with a lot of playoff experience, the Hawks really have nothing to lose.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Kings Showed Interest In Khabibulin
by Paul on 12/23/08 at 01:59 PM ET
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via Rich Hammond at Inside the Kings,
...the Kings were, until late last week, in the running for Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. No longer, it seems. Talks ended without a deal, but it had nothing to do with Khabibulin’s salary or any injury concerns. But that should answer the question about whether the Kings are willing to go after a veteran goalie this season.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Khabibulin Has Been Great
by Paul on 12/20/08 at 08:50 AM ET
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from Tim Sassone of Between The Circles at the Chicago Daily-Herald,
Where would the Blackhawks be if another team had claimed Nikolai Khabibulin on waivers back in training camp?
They probably wouldn’t be 17-6-7 today and the talk of the NHL.
Khabibulin has been nothing short of sensational for the Hawks, and he was just that again Friday night in the 3-2 overtime win over the Flames. As he has done most of the year, Khabibulin kept the Hawks in the game long enough for the offense to do its thing.
Khabibulin has lost once in regulation, his record now at 10-1-4. Once.As we walked out of the Saddledome Friday night into the unbearable Alberta cold, Chris Kuc of the Tribune mentioned how Khabibulin should be going to the All-Star Game, and he is absolutely right.
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Khabibulin Injured - Status Unknown
by Paul on 11/27/08 at 08:34 AM ET
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from Tim Sassone of Between the Circles,
We might not know until Friday how badly Nikolai Khabibulin and Aaron Johnson are hurt.
Khabibulin went down in the final minute of the second period of Wednesday’s 3-2 OT loss to the Sharks with what appeared to be a groin or hamstring problem. Joel Quenneville didn’t know if Khabibulin would be examined Thursday in San Jose, where the Hawks were to practice, or if he would need to return to Chicago. If the injury is serious, Cristobal Huet would vault into the spotlight and we’d likely see Antti Niemi recalled from Rockford to be the backup.
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Khabibulin Red Flags Removed
by Paul on 11/14/08 at 12:43 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
In the post-lockout NHL, the trading game usually grinds to a halt between the second week of the season and the middle of February, but the one player that may legitimately get moved is the Blackhawks’ Nikolai Khabibulin, who inches closer to free agency every day; sees the dollars click off that $6.25-million (all currency U.S.) annual salary – and continues to play great. Khabibulin was sensational in last week’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins. Apart from the money, performance and attitude were the two red flag for teams pondering a move on Khabibulin had to consider. It doesn’t seem as if either is an issue at the moment.
many more hockey notes plus Burke made for Toronto…
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An Obvious Team For Khabibulin- Colorado
by Paul on 10/16/08 at 07:45 PM ET
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from Terry Frei at ESPN,
The obvious choice as a possible Khabibulin suitor now is Colorado, with Budaj struggling horribly out of the gate in his latest opportunity to nail down the Avalanche’s No. 1 job. Colorado has about $5.5 million in cap room available, so it would take some tinkering or sending the Blackhawks a significant salary in return to make room.
Simply sending Budaj to Chicago to serve as Huet’s backup wouldn’t quite be enough, because Budaj’s cap figure is “only” $800,000 this season. In fact, how’s this for a contrast in allocating resources in the cap age: Chicago’s two goalies are making $12.3 million this season; at Colorado, Budaj and Andrew Raycroft are pulling in a combined $1.6 million. But Colorado could find a way to pull it off.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Khabibulin Deal May Take Some Time
by Paul on 10/08/08 at 03:16 PM ET
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via Sportsnet,
Jay Grossman, the agent for Nikolai Khabibulin, told Hockeycentral it might take some time to find a fit for the goaltender with another team. Khabibulin passed through waivers last week and Grossman said he was surprised something didn’t get done with either another NHL team or one in the Continental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia.
Grossman has been granted permission by the Blackhawks to speak with other teams about his client and though he has had talks with several teams, Grossman has been unable to secure a deal. The Blackhawks were hoping Grossman could arrange a loan agreement with a KHL team that would at least alleviate the financial burden.
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Khabibulin Still With Chicago
by Paul on 10/07/08 at 04:14 PM ET
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from TSN,
The Chicago Blackhawks sent goaltender Antti Niemi to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, opening the possibility of the team starting the season with Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin.
Khabibulin is expected return to the team this week and resume practising, and could possibly play at some point.
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Khabibulin’s Agent Negotiating With KHL
by Paul on 10/07/08 at 07:31 AM ET
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from Chris Kuc of the Icing blog at the Chicago Tribune,
Tallon and the Hawks remain in a holding pattern with Khabibulin as they wait for his agent, Ron Grossman, to negotiate with the Russian Kontinental Hockey League. A decision on whether the sides work out a loan agreement or Khabibulin stays with the Hawks will be decided by Wednesday at 3 p.m., when the Hawks have to turn their roster into the NHL.
more on the Blackhaws…
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Tallon Talks about Khabibulin’s Future
by Alanah McGinley on 10/03/08 at 02:03 PM ET
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Nick Kypreos and Daren Millard at the Fan 590 spoke with Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon this morning.
The GM of the Hawks joins Hockeycentral at Noon to discuss the progress of the Khabibulin situation, whether the team would consider sending him to the AHL, and how soon we could expect another development with the goalie.
Tallon expects the situation will be resolved before the start of his team’s NHL season. Listen to the complete interview.
Update 2:28pm ET: At Sportsnet.ca another interview cited from Fan590 which featured these comments from Jay Grossman, Khabibulin’s agent:
“There are several teams that have expressed interest, with our permission being given by Chicago to talk to those teams. At the same time, Chicago is aware of a number of options they have by virtue of trade, whether it be now or whether it be down the road. We assume that at least as far as the start of the season is concerned that (Khabibulin’s status) would be determined well before then.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dale+tallon, nikolai+khabibulin,
Khabibulin Wants To Get Back On The Ice
by Paul on 10/02/08 at 05:51 PM ET
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from TSN,
Khabibulin’s agent, Jay Grossman told TSN that his client has playing options with the Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL).
“Nik has several options, both here and over there,” Grossman told TSN.
“However, nothing has been finalized and by no means is anything imminent.”
Grossman admitted that he would like to get a deal worked out quickly so that Khabibulin could get back on the ice.
“Nobody is looking to drag this thing out,” he told TSN.
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Another Option For Khabibulin
by Paul on 10/02/08 at 07:43 AM ET
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from Sportsnet,
Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin could be headed to Russia after clearing waivers earlier this week.
In order to shed payroll, the Blackhawks are to prepared to loan their high-priced former all-star to a club in the Continental Hockey League (KHL), Sportsnet has learned.
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Next Option For The Blackhawks
by Paul on 09/30/08 at 04:46 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
“We’re weighing our options and we’ll decide in the next couple of days what we do,” Blackhawks GM Dave Tallon said via telephone Tuesday. “We’re under the cap, we’re fine. We don’t have a gun to our head. But we’ll decide in a few days what we’re doing.”
Khabibulin became expendable once the Hawks signed Cristobal Huet on July 1. Youngster Corey Crawford is ready for the NHL, as well.
The problem when trying to make a deal like this at this time of year is that everyone basically thinks they’re fine. The puck hasn’t dropped yet. Once the losses start piling up for a team that was supposed to be better, that’s when the trade talks start to heat up.
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Khabibulin On Waivers
by Paul on 09/29/08 at 12:32 PM ET
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Bob McKenzie of TSN just mentioned on NHL Live that Nikolai Khabibulin is on waivers. Bob said maybe Tallon knows someone will pick him up, or, if not, he comes back on re-entry waivers at half price and maybe gets picked up.
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Chicago Has A Few Options With Khabibulin
by Paul on 08/28/08 at 09:02 PM ET
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from Darren Dreger of TSN,
Khabibulin has informed the Blackhawks he wants to play 60 games this season.
With newly signed Cristobal Huet soon to make his debut, that’s unlikely to happen.
Also unlikely is a team willing to give up more than a draft pick or a prospect for Khabibulin who has one year left at 6.75 million dollars.
Tallon isn’t desperate to move Khabibulin, but he is eager, and will patiently wait to see if an injury pops up around the league that may heighten interest....
If no deal surfaces, Chicago who will soon have cap issues of their own and may have to place the former Stanley Cup champ on waivers.
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Khabibulin Could End Up With Colorado
by Paul on 07/10/08 at 03:07 PM ET
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via Adrian Dater of All Things Avs,.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Nikolai Khabibulin become an Av at some point. No, probably not before the season. But come trade deadline time - if Huet is playing well in Chicago and Peter Budaj isn’t here - I think it will be an easy call that the Avs would be among the highest bidders for his services.
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Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Something’s Gotta Give in Chicago
by Alanah McGinley on 07/01/08 at 05:57 PM ET
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From Ryan Kennedy at The Hockey News,
There must be a second part to this move.
The Chicago Blackhawks signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a deal worth $5.625 million per season for four years, THN has learned.
Now, the Hawks still have No. 1 goalie Nikolai Khabibulin on the books for a very cap-unfriendly $6.75 million next year, so something’s gotta give here.
Not only do the Hawks now have quite a lot of cash tied up in goaltenders, but the funny thing about that position is you can only have one on the ice at any given time and most starting netminders tend to want to be out there as much as possible.
On TSN about 15 minutes ago, Darren Pang reported that in his conversation with GM Dale Tallon today, Tallon claimed they would be carrying both goalies into next season. To add intrigue, Bob McKenzie also mentions that Tampa goalie Mike Smith—who just signed an extension earlier today—might now be shopped.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: cristobal+huet, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
Khabibulin Is The Key
by Paul on 12/13/07 at 10:18 AM ET
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from Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily-Herald,
This is not to suggest Khabibulin should be traded. That is the business of Hawks general manager Dale Tallon, who has given no indication of being either eager or willing to do it. Tallon wants to make the playoffs and likely realizes the best chance for that to happen is with Khabibulin in goal.
But what if Khabibulin’s game stays where it’s at? What if Tampa Bay comes calling offering either Martin St. Louis or Brad Richards in a deal? There has been an ownership change in Tampa, and there probably isn’t another team in the league that needs better goaltending than the Lightning.
At this point, the assumption has to be made that the Hawks are going to keep Khabibulin and let him play into next season, the last on his contract. Coach Denis Savard never misses an opportunity to back his No. 1 goalie to anyone questioning the quality of play the Hawks are getting out of the position, which is fine.
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Tags: Nikolai+Khabibulin,
The Improved Khabibulin
by Paul on 11/24/07 at 09:47 AM ET
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from the Chicago Sun-Times,
‘’He looked so comfortable, so confident,’’ goaltender coach Stephane Waite said of Khabibulin’s last two outings. ‘’He’s found his comfort zone.’’
Khabibulin hasn’t been able to explain why, because he has paid the price for both of those hard-earned victories. He experienced dehydration in both and had long intravenous treatments immediately after leaving the ice.
‘’He lost 12 pounds against Detroit and probably about nine [at Calgary],’’ Savard said. ‘’Khabby takes a lot of fluids. He has this purple drink he takes between shifts. He’s always been like that. It’s not unusual.’’
Something is different about Khabibulin’s play, though.
Savard lauded Waite’s work after the Calgary win.
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Tags: chicago+blackhawks, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
No Matter What, Khabibulin Must Play Better
by Paul on 09/17/07 at 06:01 PM ET
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from the Chicago Daily Herald,
Maybe the Blackhawks will score more goals on the power play.
Maybe the pieces will fall into place on defense.
But for the Hawks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002, it’s likely going to come down to whether they get consistently good goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin.
Now halfway through his four-year, $27 million contract, the richest in team history, Khabibulin hasn’t lived up to expectations - though in his defense there hasn’t been a good team in front of him for those two seasons.
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Tags: chicago+blackhawks, goalies, Nikolai+Khabibulin,
