As Antti Niemi lingered on the ice after Finnishing off yet another baffled foe Monday night, what remained of the delirious United Center crowd showered the Blackhawks goalie with adulation, chanting his name in a full-throated roar.
And as the cheers met his ears, the Hawks’ backstop raised his eyebrows and turned a wide-eyed gaze to the stands. His mystified expression indicated he thought this wasn’t a salute but rather a sign that the roof was going to cave in at any moment.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, how the people react,” Niemi said after atoning for a suspect Game 1 effort with a nearly impeccable 32-save night in the Hawks’ 2-1 win in Game 2.
To the Hawks’ benefit, Niemi’s memory is the only thing shorter than his sentences. Whatever burden the five goals surrendered in Game 1 presented, he swatted that away Monday like just about everything else.
The Flyers were an energized bunch and produced 30 shots over the last two periods alone, but they needed a power play to solve Niemi just the one time.
So in one postseason, Niemi has moved from pulsating question mark to, perhaps, the biggest reason the Hawks are where they are. Or at least a spot in that conversation.
“You gotta look at his performance up to this point — it’s the reason why we’re here,” Hawks forward Patrick Sharp said. “We got a lot of great players and we’re playing a great team game, but he’s the backbone back there.”
Once the Flyers’ offense went from dormant to desperate — they’d managed just three first-period shots — Niemi added to his stock of big saves.
He stoned Mike Richards on a mini-breakaway with a kick save seven minutes into the second period. He made a glove save with a flourish on an Arron Asham blast later in the second that elicited an ovation from the United Center crowd.
He used a kick save, a pad save and a stick sweep on one sequence with seven minutes to play to deny a potentially tying goal. And with two minutes left, after Ville Leino worked to get an open shot on net, Niemi closed his five-hole and denied that chance too.
“I think our ‘D’ played maybe a little better in front of the net in blocking shots and letting me see the puck,” Niemi said. “But it’s always a little bit about the luck, too, how you see the puck and how it bounces.”
By now, it isn’t luck. Asked how he continues to be able to bounce back from subpar games, Niemi simply said, “I don’t know how it happens.”
The Hawks don’t need that answer, as long as Niemi keeps responding emphatically.
“Just because he’s never been here doesn’t mean anything,” Hawks center John Madden said. “The way he practices and the way he competes on the ice, it’s really something to watch. If you had a kid and said, this is the goalie you should emulate for work ethic, he’s incredible. It’s fun to watch.”
