Niemi gave up four goals on 29 shots in Saturday's loss to Carolina. While Niemi played decent overall, he fell victim to the Hurricanes in the first and second period, allowing three goals on 24 shots. The workhorse owns a 22-12-6 record on the season with a .914 save percentage and 2.55 GAA. He's suffered just one regulation loss in his last nine outings, so we wouldn't worry too much. The Canes came into Saturday hot, so we would put this one in the past and continue to roll the Finnish goaltender with confidence.

Niemi will be in the crease for Saturday's game against the Hurricanes, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. While the Hurricanes have remained near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for most of the season, they haven't been the pushover lately that their overall record would indicate. Carolina enters Saturday with an 8-3-3 record over their last 14 games, making for a formidable opponent than Niemi's owners might anticipate. It's still probably a good idea to keep Niemi active against a low-scoring unit on his own home ice, but an easy victory is far from guaranteed.

Niemi stopped 33 of 34 shots Thursday in a 5-1 romp over the Canucks. After a disappointing loss to Edmonton his last time out, Niemi got right back on the horse in this one, delivering his sixth win in eight starts. He's a mid-tier fantasy netminder, but that'll play in most formats.

Niemi will start between the pipes against the Canucks on Thursday. Niemi was considered the likely starter Thursday, and it now has been confirmed as such. He allowed four goals in his last start on 40 shots, but will look for a better outing in Thursday's tilt.

Niemi is considered likely to start Thursday against the Canucks, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. After backup Alex Stalock got the nod a night earlier, Niemi is expected to get the honors in goal for the second game of the back-to-back. The Canucks are expected to counter with Ryan Miller, who owns a 9-1-1 lifetime record against the Sharks, perhaps making Niemi an undesirable daily option for the Thursday slate.

Niemi will serve as back-up to Alex Stalock in Wednesday's game against the Flames, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Niemi is likely to get the net on Thursday though, with the Sharks on the front end of a back-to-back on Wednesday. The decision to start Stalock isn't a shift in focus for the team, but an attempt to not work Niemi into the ground before the playoffs like they've done in previous seasons.

Niemi played well Monday, stopping 36 of 40 shots -- as well as 11 of 13 shootout attempts -- in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Oilers. Niemi and the Oilers' Viktor Fasth duked it out in the shootout, but it was Fasth who finally emerged victorious in the 13th round after Rob Klinkhammer slipped one past the Sharks netminder. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for Niemi, whose numbers are now at a .913 save percentage to go with a 2.55 GAA (slightly worse than his career marks of .916 and 2.37) and a 21-11-6 record this season.

Niemi will start for the Sharks on Monday against the Oilers, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. Niemi carries three straight wins into Monday's game, including a shutout in Saturday's game against Chicago.

Niemi was on his game Saturday night against the Blackhawk, stopping all 31 shots he faced to notch his fourth shutout of the season. It was the third straight victory and 31st career shutout for Niemi, who had previously hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010. His last three victories have all come against imposing opponents (Blackhawks, Ducks, and Kings), making the achievement all the more impressive for the Finnish netminder. Saturday's blanking helped him improve his season record to 21-11-5 and his GAA to 2.51.

Niemi will be between the pipes for Saturday's tilt with the Blackhawks, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. Niemi has faced a bear of a schedule lately. After drawing a loss to a surprisingly competitive Flames squad two Saturdays ago, he was able to outlast the Kings and Ducks his last two times out. He'll have difficulty sustaining that winning streak against the Blackhawks and their impressive attack, which has generated at least three goals in four of its last five games. It might be worthwhile for Niemi's owners to explore other goalie options for Saturday's slate.