Niemi was the first one to leave the ice in Thursday's morning skate, suggesting that he's the expected starting goalie in the evening contest against the Penguins, NHL.com's Mark Stepneski reports.

EDGE Analysis

Entering training camp, Niemi and Kari Lehtonen appeared to be deadlocked in a battle for the No. 1 job job turning away pucks for the Stars, but Niemi enjoyed the better preseason of the two netminders. While neither player performed particularly well in exhibition, Niemi turned up a 3.00 GAA in three games compared to an ugly 4.57 GAA for Lehtonen through four contests.