[+] Enlarge
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesAntti Niemi is 15-4-1; not bad for a back-up.

By JESSE ROGERS

If Marty Turco is the answer, then I’m not sure what the question is.

Turco was bested by Antti Niemi in an unusual shootout in which only one skater out of 10 -- Kris Versteeg -- was able to light the lamp, as the Blackhawks beat the Stars 4-3. Niemi may have given up three in regulation, but he was perfect in that shootout.

“I kind of like the shootouts, because [by then] you don’t have too much to lose on those,” Niemi said after the game. “You still get a point.”

“He held us right in there,” Jonathan Toews said praising his teammate. “They have some pretty good shooters in that shootout. He made some big stops there and throughout the entire game. When it’s his chance to play and fill in, he’s done an incredible job. We feel just as confident having him in there. He’s worked hard and won some pretty big games for us.”

Many believe the Hawks need to trade for a goaltender, and rumors persist they may be looking at a few on the market. If Marty Turco wasn’t available for the taking before the game, he certainly was by the third period. The Stars announced a trade, mid-game, for Atlanta netminder Kari Lehtonen. That means Dallas has three goaltenders, two -- Turco and Alex Auld -- of whom will be unrestricted free agents at season’s end.

After the game, Turco refused to talk to the media while his coach, Marc Crawford, deferred all questions about carrying three goalies to his general manager Joe Nieuwendyk. It would be a surprise if they kept all three for very long. Earlier in the day, before the trade for Lehtonen, Turco said he was prepared for anything.

“Of course we all think about it [trade rumors],” Turco said after Tuesday’s morning practice. “We don’t know if anything is going to happen. All you can do is continue to try to do your part to win where you are. And if things change down the road, I got a great wife and loving family, and we can adapt to anything. But right now my heart is in Dallas. We want to get closer to the playoff picture.”

His sentiments may have changed when he learned of the trade. A team doesn’t deal for a 26-year-old franchise goalie and not play him. It may be a moot point for the Hawks as Turco’s season (17-15-9) has been nothing to write home about, though he does have plenty of playoff experience.

For now, the Hawks are “stuck” with a back-up who improved his record to 15-4-1. Sounds like Joel Quenneville is just fine with that and of course his performance Tuesday night.

“I thought he was solid,” Quenneville said. “And he looked very poised in the shootout as well … We’re very happy with him winning again and taking advantage of the opportunity tonight.”

NOTES: