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Canadiens' Antti Niemi's resumé plays large role in start vs. Sharks

"Carey has played a lot of hockey and we have to give him some rest," Habs head coach Claude Julien says.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — What goes into a coach’s decision on a starting goaltender?

The question came up Thursday when Canadiens head coach Claude Julien announced he was starting Antti Niemi against the San Jose Sharks, while No. 1 goaltender Carey Price will return Friday against the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

The first decision made by Julien and goaltending coach Stéphane Waite was to use both goaltenders, dismissing the possibility that Price could play both games as he had the last two times Montreal faced back-to-back matches.

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“Carey has played a lot of hockey and we have to give him some rest,” said Julien.

Montreal Canadiens’ Antti Niemi makes a save during warmup prior to a game against the Florida Panthers in Montreal on Jan. 15, 2019.
Montreal Canadiens’ Antti Niemi makes a save during warmup prior to a game against the Florida Panthers in Montreal on Jan. 15, 2019. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

It’s a common practice to split the goaltending duties when teams are involved in back-to-back situations but, at first glance, it would seem to make more sense to play Price against the playoff-bound Sharks and use Niemi against the Ducks, who are near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

But, while Julien wasn’t going to say it, the choice he made was probably dictated by the opponents. Historically, the Canadiens have not fared well in San Jose. They have lost 11 consecutive games since their last win here in 1999. Price has been a part of that legacy. Obviously, he has never won here and his overall record against the Sharks is 2-9-1.

In effect, Julien is feeding Niemi to the Sharks and, if he steals a point or two, it will be a bonus and Price will be well rested to face the Ducks.

Niemi has an 8-5-2 record, but many of his wins have been the result of strong support from the offence. He surrendered at least three goals in each of his first 10 starts and he went into the San Jose game with a 3.75 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage.

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Niemi has also shown an ability to turn the dial up a notch at key times. He’s been the goaltender in the Canadiens’ only two shootout games this season and was 8-for-8 in the save department, stopping the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Mathew Barzal.

Despite some shaky performances, Julien said he had faith in Niemi.

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“I think when it comes to Antti, he forgets quickly and he gets back to work in practice,” said Julien. “He’s done some extra work in practice for a long time and he’s ready for this. We have to make sure we give him that opportunity because our other goaltender needs some rest and this is a good time for it.

“We looked at everything, including the amount of games (Price) has played,” added Julien. “The one thing we know is that Niemi has played some good hockey in this building. When he was with Chicago, he came here and beat San Jose in the playoffs. I know it’s going back a long ways, but you can look at those kind of things and build on it.”

Waite would certainly have remembered Niemi’s play. He was the goaltending coach for the Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup. Along the way, they swept the Sharks with Niemi limiting San Jose to nine goals in a four-game sweep.

Niemi signed with the Sharks the following season and won 163 games over five seasons. The 35-year-old ranks second on San Jose’s all-time list behind Evgeni Nabokov, who had 293 wins.

phickey@postmedia.com

twitter.com/zababes1

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