Goalie Antti Niemi at his best in 2-0 victory over Chicago
Antti Niemi denied his former teammates at every turn as the Sharks capped an impressive hat trick Saturday night.
Behind their goalie’s 31 saves and 31st career shutout at a sold-out SAP Center, San Jose beat Chicago 2-0 after besting fellow West powers Los Angeles and Anaheim in its previous two games.
“It was a terrific game for him and result for us,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan said of Niemi and his team. “He made some very tough saves in succession.”
The hosts turned in a stellar defensive effort all-around, limiting the potent Blackhawks to one power play. Chicago was blanked for the fourth time this season.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but we committed to playing defense for the most part,” McLellan said. “You can look at the shot clock and they lead the league in shots; they shoot from everywhere. We knew we had to have a little bit of composure at times when they’d get roaming around. And we believed the goaltender would have to make some saves, and we got that.”
Niemi’s fourth shutout of the season was his second all-time against the Blackhawks, for whom he played during his rookie season when Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2010.
“I felt patient and calm. I felt really good,” Niemi said, agreeing it was one of his best games as a Shark.
Center Joe Thornton filled an empty net at 18:50 with his 11th goal of the season to provide insurance late.
Only an outstanding display of goaltending by Niemi preserved the Sharks’ 1-0 lead throughout the second period when the Blackhawks piled up a 15-6 advantage in shots.
Niemi was at his acrobatic best when Chicago captain Jonathan Toews broke in alone shorthanded 14 minutes into the period. Niemi stopped the center’s first shot by using his stick to barely clear a puck as it trickled through his legs toward the goal line. Sprawled on his back, and with help of defenseman Brent Burns, Niemi thwarted three more efforts by Toews before a premature whistle stopped any more shots, even though the puck was still visibly free.
“It was just a scramble,” Burns said. “Niemi is real steady. We feel good when he’s back there. … He showed it tonight.”
Niemi gloved a oneshot drive by right wing Patrick Kane with 1:30 remaining to enable the Sharks to take a one-goal lead into the third period.
“I didn’t have to make a lot of saves in the first so I didn’t know whether I was on or not,” Niemi said. “After I felt the puck more in the second, I felt real good.”
The Sharks scored the only goal of a fast-paced opening period, though the Blackhawks outshot them 9-7.
After San Jose’s third line, led by center James Sheppard, created momentum with a long cycle in Chicago’s end, rookie left winger Melker Karlsson capitalized on the next shift to score his eighth goal of the season.
Karlsson followed after defenseman Matt Irwin’s shot from the left point by putting a backhander on Antti Raanta. When the Blackhawks’ goalie juggled the puck, Karlsson got his stick on it again, and ricocheted a shot off Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith and into the net at 5:09. Briefly: Rookie right wing Daniil Tarasov went a second game without making his NHL debut as he was a healthy scratch along with defenseman Mirco Mueller. ... Right wing Tye McGinn did not play after the first period. ... Right wing Tyler Kennedy skated for the first time since the All-Star break but needs more time while dealing with back spasms.