MONTREAL (AP) Goaltender Antti Niemi was seeking stability more than money when he agreed to a one-year
http://www.islandersfanproshop.com/authentic-cal-clutterbuck-jersey , $950,000 contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.Who could blame the
34-year-old, who was eligible for free agency on July 1, after a whirlwind
2017-18 season? Niemi was bought out by the Dallas Stars last summer, signed
with Pittsburgh, was claimed on waivers by Florida and then claimed again by
Montreal.”The way I felt when I was playing in Montreal, I was comfortable
there,” Niemi said on a conference call. ”I didn’t need to change that.”It
wasn’t about getting the most money.”Niemi was 0-3-0 with a 7.49 goals-against
average when Pittsburgh placed him on waivers on Oct. 24, and he was 0-1-1 with
a 5.11 GAA – allowing five goals on 39 shots in two appearances – when he was
put on waivers again by the Panthers on Nov. 14.But the Finnish veteran settled
down nicely when claimed that day by Montreal, where he was reunited with goalie
coach Stephane Waite. The two had worked together when Niemi backstopped the
Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup in 2010.With the Canadiens
Matt Hunwick Jersey Womens , Niemi went 7-5-4 with a 2.46 GAA and a .929 save percentage.The club now has two goalies on one-way contracts vying for the
job as backup to Carey Price next season – Niemi and prospect Charlie Lindgren,
who signed a three-year extension on Feb. 13. It could make for a fierce battle
in training camp, but at least whichever gets sent to AHL Laval will earn his
full NHL salary.Niemi was just glad that his stint in Montreal showed he can
still play top-level hockey.He said what prompted him to sign was ”how last
season went and how I was able to bounce back.”— CALGARY, Alberta (AP)
Christopher Gibson refused to take all the credit after leading the New York
Islanders to a much-needed win.The rookie goalie made 50 saves as the Islanders
beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 to snap an eight-game losing streak.”Personally it’s
great, but hockey is a team game,” said Gibson, who improved his record this
season to 1-0-2. ”It’s a great feeling. I’m happy that the team won today. I
think it was a full team effort. I let out some bad rebounds and guys were there
to clear them out.”It was the second NHL win for Gibson, who went 1-1-1 for the
Islanders in the 2015-16 season.”Ever since he’s been in the organization he’s
been a great goaltender and tough to score on,” said forward Anders Lee, who had
two goals. ”We always know the potential that these (young) guys have
Jeff Skinner Jersey Womens , but when you come into the game and play as calm as he has been, it’s been a wonderful surprise.”Johnny Boychuk had a goal
and two assists for the Islanders, who were 0-4-4 since winning at Carolina on
Feb. 16. Nick Leddy and Jordan Eberle also scored, and Casey Cizikas and John
Tavares had two assists each.New York pulled seven points behind Columbus for
the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.”To get a win, especially when
we’ve been playing one-goal games and going into overtime and losing in a
shootout or losing in overtime . something’s got to give, especially if you keep
doing the right things,” Boychuk said. ”We know we’re in a corner and we have to
win as many games as we can.”Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist for the
Flames, who kicked off a three-game homestand after going 2-0-1 on the road last
week. Mark Giordano also scored.”It’s frustrating,” Giordano said. ”I think the
problem is we’re getting down a lot at home where we’re forced to press a lot
because you’re down by a few goals. That was the case again tonight.”Mike Smith
made 22 saves in his return after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury.”I
thought early on there I was a little sloppy, but I felt like I settled in
pretty well as the game went on and got more comfortable
John Tavares Jersey ,” Smith said. ”Tonight I think mentally we weren’t engaged enough at the start of the game and it cost us.”Leddy opened the scoring
at 2:14 of the first period when he fired a point shot that deflected off the
post and in behind Smith.Just 18 seconds later, another point shot by Boychuk
deflected off Calgary forward Troy Brouwer’s stick and past Smith to make it
2-0.Gaudreau scored at 7:23 to pull the Flames within one when he took a pass
from Sean Monahan before snapping a shot to the short side past Gibson.The
Islanders regained their two-goal advantage 3:02 later as Eberle tipped
Boychuk’s shot on net before picking up his own rebound and backhanding the puck
past Smith.Boychuk continued his strong performance early in the second period
when he fired another slap shot on net that Smith stopped, but the rebound went
right to Lee, who swatted it into the net to put New York up 4-1.Giordano poked
a loose puck in the crease into the net behind Gibson at 7:24 of the third to
pull the Flames within two.The Flames continued to put on the pressure, but
weren’t able to get any more pucks past Gibson, who stopped point-blank chances
by Sam Bennett and Gaudreau.Lee then added an empty-net goal with 10.1 seconds
remaining.NOTES: Smith sustained his injury late in Calgary’s 3-2 win over the
Islanders in New York on Feb. 11. … The Flames compiled a 5-6-2 record with
Smith out of the lineup. … In addition to activating Smith off injured reserve,
the Flames also assigned G Jon Gillies back to Stockton of the AHL on Sunday. …
Gaudreau snapped a seven-game goal-scoring drought, while extending his
point-scoring streak to four games. … Gibson became the third Islanders goalie
this season to have at least 50 saves. Jaroslav Halak made 50 in a 3-0 win over
the New York Rangers on Feb. 15 and Thomas Greiss had 52 in a 5-4 overtime win
at Montreal on Jan. 15.UP NEXTIslanders: Host Washington on Thursday
night.Flames: Host Edmonton on Tuesday night.
