Shouldn't have been any question about it.

Niemi stopped 30 of 32 shots in a win over the Coyotes in the season finale. He finished the season at 39-17-7 with a 2.39 GAA and .913 SV%. Entering game 1 vs. Los Angeles, Niemi is 3-2-0 in Aprial and 2-1-1 with 2.67 GAA and .910 SV% against the Kings this season.

LOS ANGELES vs. SAN JOSE Must-Starts Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick San Jose: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Antti Niemi Sleepers Los Angeles: Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Slava Voynov San Jose: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Jason Demers Notes: LA took the season series 3 games to 2 but Kings' starter Jonathan Quick only played in one of those matches, posting a 1-0 shutout on January 27th. This series could very well come down to which Stanley Cup winning goaltender can outplay the other.  The Sharks have been waiting for Antti Niemi to lead them to the Promised Land ever since they signed him after he won the Cup with Chicago in 2010.  They have been waiting for Joe Thornton to bring them as well.  The one thing going for the Kings is that they have been down this road before and know what it takes to bring home the coveted chalice. The Kings main cog on offense is Anze Kopitar. Kopitar doesn't get enough recognition being that he plays on the West Coast, but this guy can play.  He usually lines up with Justin Williams, another unsung player but is crucial to the Kings success.  He has two Cups under his belt, the other with the Hurricanes.  Marian Gaborik was brought in a the trade deadline and is the sniper the Kings have been looking for all along as they wait for Tyler Toffoli to develop.  Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have displayed chemistry together since their days in Philly, so look for them to supply secondary scoring.  Can Dustin Brown repeat his playoff surge like he did when they won the Cup?  Brown could be a major factor once again. The Kings possess a plethora of offensive talent on the blue line starting with Drew Doughty. Doughty didn't reach the 40-point plateau for a defenseman, but along with Slava Voynov, they possess a dynamic duo at the points.  Alec Martinez displayed some offense towards the end of the regular season and with Jake Muzzin, should contribute to the score sheet as well.  Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regher supply the support in front of goaltender Jonathan Quick.  Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2011-2012 with a 1.41 GAA and a .946 SP, outstanding numbers indeed.  It will be difficult to repeat that kind of performance, but anything close and the Kings will be back on top once again. The San Jose Sharks seem to be built for the long playoff run but ...

LOS ANGELES vs. SAN JOSE Must-Starts Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick San Jose: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Antti Niemi Sleepers Los Angeles: Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Slava Voynov San Jose: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Jason Demers Notes: LA took the season series 3 games to 2 but Kings' starter Jonathan Quick only played in one of those matches, posting a 1-0 shutout on January 27th. This series could very well come down to which Stanley Cup winning goaltender can outplay the other.  The Sharks have been waiting for Antti Niemi to lead them to the Promised Land ever since they signed him after he won the Cup with Chicago in 2010.  They have been waiting for Joe Thornton to bring them as well.  The one thing going for the Kings is that they have been down this road before and know what it takes to bring home the coveted chalice. The Kings main cog on offense is Anze Kopitar. Kopitar doesn't get enough recognition being that he plays on the West Coast, but this guy can play.  He usually lines up with Justin Williams, another unsung player but is crucial to the Kings success.  He has two Cups under his belt, the other with the Hurricanes.  Marian Gaborik was brought in a the trade deadline and is the sniper the Kings have been looking for all along as they wait for Tyler Toffoli to develop.  Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have displayed chemistry together since their days in Philly, so look for them to supply secondary scoring.  Can Dustin Brown repeat his playoff surge like he did when they won the Cup?  Brown could be a major factor once again. The Kings possess a plethora of offensive talent on the blue line starting with Drew Doughty. Doughty didn't reach the 40-point plateau for a defenseman, but along with Slava Voynov, they possess a dynamic duo at the points.  Alec Martinez displayed some offense towards the end of the regular season and with Jake Muzzin, should contribute to the score sheet as well.  Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regher supply the support in front of goaltender Jonathan Quick.  Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2011-2012 with a 1.41 GAA and a .946 SP, outstanding numbers indeed.  It will be difficult to repeat that kind of performance, but anything close and the Kings will be back on top once again. The San Jose Sharks seem to be built for the long playoff run but ...

Niemi was pulled after he allowed three goals on 19 shots in a loss to the Ducks on Wednesday. He has lost each of his last two starts while allowing six goals on 43 shots (.860 SV%). He enters the season finale at 2-0-1 with a 1.90 GAA and .933 SV% against the Coyotes.

Niemi allowed three goals on 24 shots in a loss to the Predators on Saturday. He has won three of his last five with a 2.81 GAA and .901 SV%. Tonight, he will face the Ducks, looking to move to 4-1 against their rival this season. He has posted a 2.92 GAA and .904 SV% in the four previous meetings with Anaheim.

Niemi stopped 26 of 27 shots in a win over the Kings on Thursday. It was his 38th win of the season which is second highest in the NHL. He also sits 14th in GAA (2.36) and 26th in SV% (.913). While it has been a good season for Niemi, he sits just outside of the Vezina Trophy conversation. Get him in your lineup tonight vs. the Preds.

Niemi gave up four goals on 29 shots in Tuesday's win over the Oilers. He has alternated wins and losses in his last seven games, which does not bode well for him tonight vs. the Kings. Niemi has gone 1-1-1 with a 3.21 GAA and .895 SV% against L.A this season.

Niemi gave up four goals on 31 shots in a loss to the Jets on Thursday. He was then given Saturday night off but will be back in goal tonight vs. Edmonton. He finished March 7-2-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .924 SV% and is a must-start tonight vs. the Oilers. He is 2-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .926 SV% vs. Edmonton this year.

There are 11 games on the NHL calendar today. Boston will start things off with a game at Washington.  Tukkaa Rask is (LIKELY) in goal for Boston, and there little to say about him other thna the fact he will likey win the Vezina Trophy with his 33 wins and 2.01 GAA. Rask's even strength save percentage of .943 is amazing.  Jaroslav Halak is (LIKELY) to be in goal for the Capitals, and he has played well since the trade with a .929 save percentage with Washington, but we like Boston in this one. San Jose will visit Colorado. Antti Niemi is (LIKELY) for the Sharks while Semyon Varlamov has been (CONFIRMED) for the Avalanche. Both are having great years with each having 36 wins.  Varlamov has been hotter lately winning 3 of his last 4 whereas Niemi has gone 2-3 in his last 5.  Go with Varlamov. Ben Bishop will (LIKELY) be in goal for Tampa as they visit Buffalo. Youngster Matt Hackett is (LIKELY) to be in goal for the Sabres. Bishop has had a great year with 35 wins while Hackett has only played in 3 games.  Bishop should be the king. Cory Schneider has been (CONFIRMED) for the Devils at the Islanders. Although his record is only 14-14-9, his 2.14 GAA demonstrates that he has played well this season. Evgeni Nabokov is (LIKELY) for New York. He hasgone 2-4 in his last 6 games, so we like Schneider.   Carey Price will (LIKELY) start for Montreal at Florida. Price has had a solid year with 31 wins and a .924 save percentage. Dan Ellis has been (CONFIRMED) to be in goal for the Panthers. He has really struggled in his limited playing time with a 5-8 record and worse a 3.39 GAA and a .890 SP.  The Price is right.  The Red Wings will visit Toronto, and Jimmy Howard has been (CONFIRMED) in goal for Detroit.  He has had a tough year at 17-18-11 and he has suffered 3 straight losses. Jonathan Bernier is (LIKELY) to be in goal for the Leafs, and while he has played well this year with 25 wins, he has lost 2 straight games since coming back from an injury.  But we like him and his .924 save percentage. Sergei Bobrovsky is (LIKELY) in goal for Columbus as they visit Carolina.  Bobrovsky has played well with 27 wins and a 2.47 GAA, although he has lost 3 of his last 5 games.   He will (LIKELY) face Anton Khudobin who has a 16-12-0 record, but a solid 2.20 GAA and a .929 SP. He shutout Florida in his last game.  Still go with Bobrovsky.  Dallas will face the Blues in St. Louis and Kari Lehtonen is (LIKELY) in goal for the Stars. With 28 wins and a 2.48 GAA he has had a...