Niemi made his Panthers debut Monday, stopping 16 of 18 shots in relief on the way to an 8-5 home loss to the Lightning.

EDGE Analysis

The Bolts tagged starter James Reimer for five goals on 19 shots before Niemi entered the game and didn't fare much better. Indeed, it's going to extremely difficult to trust a guy who couldn't hold down a backup role with the two-time defending champion Penguins, but then again, Niemi could once again find himself out of a job when Roberto Luongo (thumb) returns to action.