Blackhawks blank Lightning, win 20th game

Who is Antti Niemi? That was the question Blackhawks fans were asking when the Finnish goaltender was named Cristobal Huet’s backup after Blackhawks’ training camp. Nearing the midway point of the NHL season, Antti Niemi is no longer an unknown in Chicago, but those who don’t follow the Blackhawks, who take a look at the NHL’s shutout leaders tomorrow morning might be asking the same question Hawks fans were asking two and a half months ago. Who is Antti Niemi? He’s the Blackhawks goaltender who has three shutouts in seven starts this season.

The Blackhawks introduced Niemi to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night and Niemi made the struggling Bolts his third victim of the season.

In the Blackhawks previous four games they faced some great goaltending performances and only scored six goals in that stretch. Facing Antero Niittymaki, one of the league leaders in goals against average and save percentage, the Blackhawks were able to find the antidote for their snake bite, scoring four goals.

Patrick Kane broke his own personal slump, scoring his first goal in ten games. After a neutral zone turnover by the Lightning, Kane made them pay as he skated into the Tampa Bay zone up the right wing boards. Cutting to the center of the faceoff circle, Kane shot for the far post and beat Niitymaki on his blocker side. The goal would be the game winner, but Kane would play less than five minutes in the game.

The Blackhawks had a 70 second two-man advantage later in the first period that was unconverted, but seven seconds after the first penalty expired Matt Smaby tripped Kane in the corner. As Kane went to the ground his head hit the ice. The play gave the Blackhawks another two-man advantage, but Kane skated off the ice and was out for the rest of the game. The Blackhawks would fail to score on any of their seven powerplays on Sunday.

If the Blackhawks’ offense was affected by loss of Kane, there was no way for a bystander to tell. That’s because the Marian Hossa show started in the second period. Halfway through the period, Hossa knocked the puck up the right wing boards, taking on Tampa Bay’s No.2 overall pick, defenseman Victor Hedman. As the puck advanced through the zone, Hossa was able to beat Hedman and fellow defender Matt Walker to the corner. Hossa’s speed caught Hedman and Walker out both out of position and Hossa made a backhanded centering pass to a wide open Ben Eager in front of Niittymaki. Eager was able to redirect Hossa’s spot-on pass for his second goal of the season.

Hossa one-upped himself in the final seconds of the middle frame with a goal that he described as lucky in a post-game interview. Breaking out with speed Patrick Kane attempted to make a cross-ice pass to Hossa. The puck was deflected and popped up above the boards. Hossa gloved the puck and dropped it. Before it hit the ice, Hossa knocked the puck out of the air and it beat Niittymaki for the Blackhawks’ third goal of the game. Hossa’s reinvention of the slapshot was his fourth goal of the season.

The Blackhawks would score once more when Jonathan Toews, moving the puck out of the defensive zone found Dustin Byfuglien with space on the right-wing boards. Byfuglien attacked the lax Tampa Bay defense and fired a shot on Niittymaki. Toews, bisecting the ice into the Tampa Bay zone crashed the net and received an early Christmas present from the Lightning goaltender. Niittymaki was unable to control the Byfuglien shot and the rebound went, as if magnitized, right to Toews in front of the net. Toews easily scored his ninth goal of the season. Toews has now scored five goals in his last seven games.

Oh, and on the other end of the ice, the Blackhawks only allowed 18 shots on goal, all of which were stopped by Niemi. The Blachawks’ rookie goaltender now has a has a 1.50 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in eight appearances to go along with his three shutouts. That shutout number is good for second in the league. Now comes the next question for Antti Niemi, is he still the second goaltender on the Blackhawks?

Three Stars:
Third Star – Brent Seabrook
Second Star – Antti Niemi
First Star – Marian Hossa