Niemi held the Red Wings to two goals on 33 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win.

EDGE Analysis

Niemi was beaten twice in the first, but made up for it with a spectacular 16-save final frame to preserve the victory. He has now started consecutive games while posting a robust .944 save percentage with four goals allowed on 71 shots in that span. With struggling countryman Kari Lehtonen allowing 11 goals in his past three appearances, Niemi could earn a larger share of the work in the second half.

Niemi will patrol the blue paint Thursday as the home starter against the Red Wings, NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Niemi has settled into a groove after a New Year's Eve thrashing from the Panthers -- he allowed three goals on 20 shots and failed to make it past the first period in that contest -- but the Finn still took a pair of losses in spite of a skinny 1.74 GAA over his last three outings. Niemi has yet to record a shutout this season, though opportunity knocks in his next outing as the Red Wings rank 24th on offense and their power play is the worst in the NHL.

Niemi turned aside 36 of 38 shots but it wasn't enough in a 2-0 loss to the Ducks on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The Finnish netminder did all he could but John Gibson was perfect at the other end of the ice, preventing him from earning his ninth win of the season. Niemi has a bit of work to do to bring his 2.88 GAA and .910 save percentage up to his career marks of 2.45 and .914, which won't be easy given his inconsistency and the fact he continues to share the crease with Kari Lehtonen.

Niemi will guard the cage in Tuesday's road game against the Ducks, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports.

EDGE Analysis

Niemi has struggled lately, registering a 1-2-1 record while posting an ugly 3.45 GAA and .857 save percentage over his last five appearances. The veteran netminder will look to get back on track in a tough road matchup with a Ducks team that's averaging 2.95 goals per game at home this season, 12th in the NHL.

Niemi allowed one goal on eight shots in a 4-3 loss to the Blues on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The 33-year-old came on during the second period to replace Kari Lehtonen, who yielded three goals on 14 shots. Niemi fared no better with his small sample size of shot attempts, and because Dallas tied the game after Niemi came in, the Finnish netminder was actually saddled with the loss. Niemi is now 7-6-4 with a 2.96 GAA and .907 save percentage.

Niemi allowed three goals on 20 shots in a 3-1 defeat against the Panthers on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The 33-year-old didn't make it through the first period, as Florida tagged him for three goals in the first 16:40 of the game. The Dallas defense did him no favors, though, as the Panthers recorded 20 shots on net during that time. Dallas had won four of the last five games coming into Saturday, but Kari Lehtonen won three of those contests. Lehtonen is probably going to see more work moving forward after he vastly outplayed Niemi on Saturday.

Niemi will start between the pipes in Saturday's home game against the Panthers.

EDGE Analysis

Niemi has been solid in the month of December, posting a 2-2-1 record while maintaining a .920 save percentage over six appearances. The 33-year-old backstop will look to pick up his eighth win of the campaign in a favorable home matchup with a slumping Panthers team that has lost four consecutive games.

Niemi faced just five shots in a win over Colorado Thursday. He entered the game with 15:04 left in the game when Antti Niemi was injured.

EDGE Analysis

It was a tough position to be thrown into and though an .800 save percentage looks grim, Niemi played fine. His .910 save percentage on the season isn't outstanding by any stretch, but, compared to last season, he's been more consistent. He's not often the best option on any given night, but he hasn't been a disaster.

Niemi allowed three goals on 22 shots in an overtime defeat to the Blues on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

This will pretty much end all the good feelings owners had about Niemi over the last week. He entered Tuesday's contest with a .959 save percentage in his last three games, which is a mini hot streak that began after the Stars benched Niemi for 12 days. Despite Tuesday's performance, Niemi remains strong in the save percentage category (.911), but his GAA stayed to 2.85.

Niemi was first off the ice in morning skate Tuesday, and thus is slated to be the home starter against the Blues for the evening's contest.

EDGE Analysis

Niemi was able to put an end to the Flyers' 10-game winning streak in his last start Saturday, stopping 31 of 32 shots in the process. In this next one, he gets a St. Louis team that ranks 12th in goals per game (2.79) and eighth on man advantage, converting 21.7 of its chances.