Niemi will start Tuesday's game against the Bruins, David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News reports. The undefeated Niemi will get the start as the Sharks continue to alternate goalies every other game. He will take on a Boston team that tallied eight goals over its last two games after scoring just six times in its first five games of the season.

Niemi turned away 35 shots Saturday to preserve a 4-2 victory for the Sharks. Though he let in two third-period goals to give the Devils some life, Niemi slammed the door on their upset bid late in the game with a trio of excellent stops on Michael Cammalleri, Adam Henrique, and Damien Brunner. Niemi has came out on the winning end on all three of his starts this season, but the excellence of co-No. 1 goalie Alex Stalock thus far ensures that the Sharks' netminding situation will remain a timeshare.

Niemi will get the starting nod Saturday against the Devils, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. Though Alex Stalock has been the superior goalie for the Sharks through the team's first four games, Niemi certainly hasn't been a liability. Niemi's stock took a hit after he allowed five goals in his most recent outing, but he's still sitting on a respectable 2.40 GAA and .926 save percentage over his two turns. Coach Todd McLellan will continue to stick with the alternate starting pattern for his goalies, but if Niemi turns in a dud Saturday, Stalock could soon start seeing a larger portion of the timeshare.

The Sharks have announced that it will be Alex Stalock and not Niemi in net in Thursday's game against the Islanders, according to David Pollak of the Mercury News. Niemi had a tough second outing and the team is still unsure who is the number one. It's not surprising that they're going back and forth between the two netminders until one emerges as the clear number one.

Niemi gave up five goals, including two comeback tallies late in the third period, on 34 shots Tuesday, but held on to beat the Capitals in a shootout. Niemi did stop all three shootout attempts. It's still a far cry from the shutout he posted in his first start this year, but at least Niemi was able to salvage a win. The Sharks jumped him out to a 3-0 first-period lead and led 5-3 with six minutes left in the third period, but late goals by Alex Ovechkin and Troy Brouwer made it an overtime affair.

Niemi was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate and will be in the net Tuesday against Washington, CSNBayArea.com reports. Neither Niemi nor Alex Stalock was able to gain much ground in their competition for the top goalie job last week, as turned in impressive shutouts in their lone starts. A road test against an improved Capitals team offers an excellent opportunity for Niemi to stake a stronger claim to the No. 1 gig, but he'll need Stalock to flop in his subsequent outings as well.

Niemi turned aside all 34 shots he faced Wednesday, shutting out the Kings 4-0. Spoiling L.A.'s Stnaley Cup banner-raising ceremony on opening night, this was the best possible revenge for the Sharks after they infamously coughed up a 3-0 series lead to the Kings in last year's playoffs. Furthermore, if Niemi can string together a few more quality starts like this, he should be able to distance himself from backup Alex Stalock for San Jose's starting gig.

Coach Todd McLellan has remained non-committal in announcing Niemi as his starter in goal for Wednesday's season opener against the Kings, David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News reports. Though Niemi is still generally expected to slot in between the pipes Wednesday night, McLellan's reluctance to declare him as the Sharks' No. 1 suggests a true timeshare with Alex Stalock could be in the works to begin the season. Niemi turned in a respectable preseason, posting a 2.23 GAA and a .916 save percentage, but Stalock supplied even stronger numbers (1.59, .921). It may take awhile for a clear starter to emerge this season, but whomever does should hold ample fantasy value behind an excellent offense and acceptable defense.

Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Monday that Niemi and Alex Stalock will both receive long looks in the preseason as he aims to settle on a No. 1 goaltender heading into the Oct. 8 opener, NHL.com reports. Niemi has been the unquestioned No. 1 for the Sharks since joining the Sharks prior to the 2010-11 season, but his grip on the gig loosened last season after he regressed to a 2.39 GAA and .913 save percentage over 64 starts. In the face of the 31-year-old's decline, Stalock took a huge step forward, going 12-5-2 with a 1.87 GAA, a performance that earned him more frequent starts down the stretch for the Sharks. Niemi's longer track record of success as well as his larger contract probably gives him the inside edge on claiming the gig, but he'll still need to play soundly in training camp before McLellan anoints him as the team's No. 1.

There's speculation that the San Jose Sharks will unload goaltender Antti Niemi. Niemi's inconsistent regular season carried over into the playoffs, and while there is a long list of San Jose players to blame for the so-called reverse sweep by the Kings, the performance in net from Niemi is near the top. Niemi finished with a 3-3 record in the seven-game, first-round series. He had a 3.74 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. He won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, but his career playoff numbers (2.74 GAA, .907 SP in 62 games) are below average when compared to many top goaltenders. Niemi was pulled in Games 4 and 5 against the Kings, while Alex Stalock looked good in relief. He started Game 6. In his first full NHL season, Stalock was 12-5-2 with a 1.87 GAA and .932 SP in the regular season. He was solid in the playoffs. At 26, he could be the Kings' goalie of the future, meaning Niemi could be out of San Jose pretty soon.