NHL: Chicago 4, Florida 0

SUNRISE, Fla., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Cristobal Huet made 31 saves Thursday night to record his third shutout of the season and carry the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-0 victory over Florida.

Huet made his fourth straight start since Nikolai Khabibulin suffered a groin injury that eventually landed him on the injured reserve list Wednesday.

It was the 20th shutout of Huet's six-year NHL career. He played with Los Angeles, Montreal and Washington before coming to Chicago this season. He has faced Florida 10 times in his career and shut the Panthers out on four occasions.

Ben Eager scored twice in helping the Blackhawks win their third straight.

Andrew Ladd opened the scoring 3:07 into the game and it remained a 1-0 contest until the third period. Eager gave Chicago some insurance 8:32 into the final period and added a goal in the game's last minute.

The Blackhawks hold down fourth place in the Western Conference with 74 points. They are closing in on what would be only their second playoff trip in 10 seasons.

Tomas Vokoun made 38 saves for the Panthers, who lost for just the third time in nine games.