Dallas Stars: Antti Niemi’s Three Best Moments In Dallas
The Dallas Stars bought out Antti Niemi in June in an attempt to refresh their crease and go in a new direction. Even though his 2016-17 campaign was an ugly one, he still had some bright and flashy moments with the Stars.
When I first began following the NHL as a whole (instead of just the Dallas Stars) on a religious level in 2011, I spent a lot of time in front of my TV, watching a plethora of hockey games. But that’s not the only thing I did to educate myself on the happenings around the league when I was in front of the “moving picture box”.
As a typical ninth grader, I spent a lot of time playing video games, specifically the EA Sports NHL franchise. I’ve owned every game since NHL 11 and have spent many hours gliding up and down the ice in Victory Green (or black for the pre-2014 games).
I learned a lot of the players around the league by playing that game, and came to dislike a good majority of them because of the talent and skill they possessed within the game that would make them tough to beat.
One of the names on my “dislike” list was goaltender Antti Niemi. I used to dread having to play the San Jose Sharks in my season mode or online because I always knew that it would take every ounce of skill I had to get a puck past him. When he came to Dallas in June 2015, I no longer dreaded San Jose as much.
Dallas Stars
But now it’s July 2017 and he’s gone. The Dallas Stars bought out Niemi in June after two average seasons with the team and he signed a short-term and small-money deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1.
It was a quick turnaround for the almost 34-year-old goalie. But it was clear after his ugly 2016-17 season that the Stars would have to get rid of him in one way or another and go in a new direction.
Dallas definitely wasn’t the best stop of his career. After posting impressive numbers in the early portion of his career, Niemi hit a rut with the Stars, putting up a record of 37-25-11 along with a .900 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average. And chances are if you watched him over the past two seasons (specifically last year), you remember some of the performances that led to these numbers.
Maybe you remember him almost coughing up a win against the New York Rangers this past season in a 7-6 decision. Or maybe the memory of him giving up three goals on two shots (it still must be some sort of record) in the first 4:01 of a game against the Minnesota Wild back in January still rings in your brain. Perhaps you think of his lackluster performance in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that the Dallas Stars’ system just wasn’t meant for Niemi. Maybe he will find new success in Pittsburgh, or maybe it’s just time for him to pack it up and call it a career. He’s already hoisted the Cup, after all.
But that doesn’t mean that Antti Niemi didn’t have his bright moments while wearing Victory Green. There were plenty of miraculous saves and dazzling stops, along with a few top-notch performances that you might see on his highlight reel.
As a means of bidding him goodbye (all though this is a month late), here are Niemi’s three best moments as a Dallas Star.
Best Performance
During the 2015-16 season, Niemi’s stats didn’t seem to do his performances much justice. In fact, Niemi kept the Dallas Stars in a lot of games with his play in net in a given game.
In both seasons, there were a few games in which Niemi earned his stripes serving as the legitimate last line of defense. On other nights, he was either left out to dry by his own defense or just wasn’t quick enough.
But in those few nights where he shined brightly, there was no doubt on who the number one star should be. That being said, here is arguably Niemi’s best performance as a Star. Too bad it had to come all the way back in his first game.
For the 2015-16 season, I went with the opening night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins because there really wasn’t another game where he played any better.
Whenever a player moves on to a new team, the transition can be difficult and it can take some time to adjust. But when you’re a veteran goaltender and are called on to start in the first game of the year against a powerhouse team in front of a jam-packed arena of fans expecting results, chances are the pressure is maximized.
But for Niemi, he treated it as though it was any other game. He made 37 saves on Oct. 8, 2015 and posted the shutout as he led the charge in what would become a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not to mention that he had two assists in the game as well. It doesn’t get much better than that.
And now on to his three best individual saves with the team.
3. Antti Niemi Robs Jason Pominville
A rivalry between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild is becoming more and more prevalent as the years go on. After an intense first round matchup in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, things kind of hit a tipping point.
That’s what made a game like the one on November 21 of this past season even more exciting. It was just before Thanksgiving, the Wild had yet to start their unbelievable 12-game winning streak that lasted practically all of December, and the Stars were still struggling to find consistency (which they would never end up finding).
The Wild visited town for a Central Division matchup, but all eyes were on one player, and it wasn’t Antti Niemi; it was Julius Honka.
Honka was scheduled to make his NHL debut that night, and Stars fans were giddy with excitement to see the 2014 first-round pick finally play in Big D.
But while Honka held a good amount of the spotlight for skating 21:01 and tallying his first career point with an assist, Niemi stole the show with a dazzling performance. This save on Jason Pominville was just one of the many saves that Niemi had to make on his way to the win that night.
He ended up stopping 27 of 29, posting a .931 save percentage and helping carry the Stars to an overtime victory (which was even more of a shock). Overall, it was a terrific night for Dallas Stars fans everywhere, and they had the talents of Antti Niemi to thank for it.
2. Vladimir Tarasenko Can’t Beat Niemi’s Toe
Just one week after his amazing performance that helped Dallas fend off the Wild, Niemi and the Stars were in St. Louis for a post-Thanksgiving battle.
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The Dallas Stars had just come off of a win over the Vancouver Canucks three nights before, and chances are their respective Thanksgiving feasts might not have even fully settled yet (especially Radek Faksa with his gravy).
Maybe that’s why the Stars were so slow in this game. Dallas dug themselves an early 2-0 hole in the first 25 minutes of the game, but somehow found a way to fight back and get even with the Blues thanks to goals from Jamie Benn and Jamie Oleksiak.
St. Louis took another lead late in the third, but Oleksiak was there to answer another and carry the game into overtime. But once it hit overtime, the Stars reverted to their original selves and quickly surrendered the deciding goal.
The Stars were by no means efficient or dominant in this game, and neither was their goaltender. Niemi went 27-31 on the night, pinning him with a .871 save percentage. He never seemed able to make the extra save. But, as it was on most nights, the defense in front of him was not doing him any favors.
Still, he managed to make a “highlight reel” play in the heat of the moment on one of the best shooters in the NHL.
This save on Tarasenko was definitely one to remember, and you are perfectly fine watching it a few times over to fully take in the awesomeness of it.
Was this luck or skill? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it was spectacular.
1. Dan Hamhuis Denied By A Diving Niemi
There seems to be a correlation between Antti Niemi’s best moments/good performances and the early parts of the season.
His number one moment in his time with Dallas came in November of 2015 on Black Friday. The Dallas Stars were on an incredible tear, hoisting a record of 17-5-0. They had lost their most recent game to the Ottawa Senators three days before, but were in the midst of starting something very special.
The Vancouver Canucks came to town and were carrying a whole mass of problems with them. They owned a record of 9-8-6 and were quickly slowly sinking to the bottom of the Western Conference (which is where they would end up by the season’s end).
But Vancouver brought a certain swagger with them to Dallas that made the game an interesting one. Maybe the Stars were still in the midst of a Thanksgiving hangover, or maybe the Canucks just came ready to play. Either way, this game had some sparks.
The Stars did not have the prettiest game defensively, giving up 36 shots in a 65-minute span. Luckily, they had the talents of Antti Niemi to back them up.
After trading goals back and forth in the first three periods, the Stars and Canucks entered overtime. And that’s when it happened.
No one knows quite why it had to happen, but the fact that it did is hilarious (mainly because he made the save and kept Dallas in it). Isn’t it funny how a mere eight months later, these two would be teammates?
The Stars went on to win the game 3-2 in the shootout with Niemi stopping all three shooters that he faced. In the game, Niemi stopped 34-36 for a .944 save percentage and helped Dallas hop into sole control of second place in the NHL standings.
Next: Stars Must Not Let Offseason Success Get To Them
It may not have been the prettiest stop in his career, but it had some classic moments, and we’ll have them forever. Niemi was an enjoyable member to have around the last two seasons and had a great personality both on and off the ice.
Enjoy Pittsburgh, Antti.