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Khabibulin dominates, helps Blackhawks finally beat Wild

Feb 21, 2008 - 6:59 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 38 shots and rookie Dave Bolland scored twice to help the Blackhawks snap a nine-game losing streak against the Minnesota Wild with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday.

Rookie Patrick Kane also scored and Rene Bourque added a pair of assists for Chicago, which improved to 5-2-1 in its last eight games by beating Minnesota for the first time since October 23, 2005.

"I didn't know we hadn't beat them for that long," Kane said. "It wasn't discussed before the game. Tonight, we came out with some resolve and scored enough to win."

Khabibulin returned from a sprained knee and stopped 10 shots in the first, 16 in the second and 12 in the third to record his first shutout of the season and 37th career.

"It's always nice for the team to get a shutout," Khabibulin said. "At this time of year, even a 6-5 game is OK if you get the win and the two points."

In sending the Wild to their second straight loss, the 12-year veteran exorcised some personal demons. He had lost six straight starts against Minnesota despite posting a 2.59 goal-against average during that stretch.

"Quite honestly, I got a little bit lucky (tonight)," Khabibulin said. "I think they hit the post about three times. They had a wide-open net and their shooter hit their own player. I'll take it."

Kane provided all the support Khabibulin needed as he scored his 14th goal of the season and fourth in five games just 3:49 into the first period.

Kane deposited a rebound past goaltender Josh Harding, who got the start on the strength of a 2-0-0 record and 1.00 GAA in four career starts vs. the Blackhawks. The 19-year-old had the entire left side of the net at which to shoot after Harding made a pad save on Robert Lang's wrister from the right faceoff circle.

"It was a good play," Kane said. "I thought Lang was going to bury it. The rebound came to my stick and I just shoveled it in."

Despite his track record against Chicago, Harding did not fare as well in this one, as Bolland beat him for his second and third goals of the season.

Bolland made it 2-0 with 20 seconds left in the middle period. After taking a pass from Bourque, the 21-year-old Toronto native fired a wrist shot from the slot between Harding's pads.

"Bourque made a great play getting me the puck," Bolland said. "I saw two guys coming to hit me, so I shot as quick as I could and it just got through his pads."

"That second goal was a tough one, especially with (20) seconds left in the period," Minnesota's Brian Rolston said. "After that, we started pressing a little. Bottom line, we just couldn't buy a goal tonight."

Bolland, who recorded his first career goal on December 16 against Florida, struck again at 5:24 of the third to provide the final margin.

Harding stopped 27 shots for the Wild, who had won 19 of the previous 25 meetings with the Blackhawks.

"We played a lot better than we did against Vancouver (on Tuesday)," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said of his team's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks. "(The Blackhawks) play a high-tempo game, and we were going hard with them."