Hockey Terminal
Be a GM

← All players

Photo of Antti Niemi

Antti Niemi

#37 · Goalie · Montréal Canadiens

Born Aug 29, 1983 in Vantaa, FIN · 6'2", 209 lb · Catches left

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2009-10

Compare with a similar player

The goalies closest to him in games played in 2011-12. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Cam Ward CAR · 68 GP, 0.915 Ondrej Pavelec WPG · 68 GP, 0.906 Jonathan Quick LAK · 69 GP, 0.929 Marc-Andre Fleury PIT · 67 GP, 0.913 Mike Smith PHX · 67 GP, 0.930

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

02040602008-09: 3 games308-092009-10: 39 games3909-102010-11: 60 games6010-112011-12: 68 games6811-122012-13: 43 games4312-132013-14: 64 games6413-142014-15: 61 games6114-152015-16: 48 games4815-162016-17: 37 games3716-172017-18: 24 games2417-182018-19: 17 games1718-19

Games played by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save % Cap hit
2008-09 CHI 3 1110 59 51 8 3.40 0.864
2009-10 CHI 39 26747 936 854 82 2.25 0.912 $827K
2010-11 SJS 60 351866 1741 1601 140 2.38 0.920 $2M
2011-12 SJS 68 342296 1865 1706 159 2.42 0.915 $3.8M
2012-13 SJS 43 241264 1220 1127 93 2.16 0.924 $3.8M
2013-14 SJS 64 391774 1705 1556 149 2.39 0.913 $3.8M
2014-15 SJS 61 312375 1811 1656 155 2.59 0.914 $3.8M
2015-16 DAL 48 251373 1246 1128 118 2.67 0.905 $4.5M
2016-17 DAL 37 121240 880 785 95 3.30 0.892 $4.5M
2017-18 PIT 3 0300 79 63 16 7.49 0.797 $700K
2017-18 FLA 2 0100 39 34 5 5.11 0.872
2017-18 MTL 19 7541 592 550 42 2.46 0.929
2018-19 MTL 17 8620 539 478 61 3.78 0.887 $950K
11 seasons Career 464 2421405736 12712 11589 1123 2.57 0.912

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save %
2009-10 CHI 22 16602 645 587 58 2.63 0.910
2010-11 SJS 18 8900 538 482 56 3.22 0.896
2011-12 SJS 5 1400 151 138 13 2.45 0.914
2012-13 SJS 11 7400 298 277 21 1.87 0.930
2013-14 SJS 6 3300 164 145 19 3.74 0.884
2015-16 DAL 5 1300 96 83 13 3.29 0.865
6 seasons Playoffs 67 362902 1892 1712 180 2.77 0.905

2011-12 season totals

GP Starts WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save %
68 68 342296 1865 1706 159 2.42 0.915

Contract

$3.8MCap hitends in 2015, then UFA
$298KCap dollars per goal above replacement12.8 goals above replacement
$2.3MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$1.5MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 30 ranked goalies whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. It runs through 2014-15, with 3 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit
2011-12 $3.8M
2012-13 $3.8M
2013-14 $3.8M
2014-15 $3.8M

Each season left on the contract. Only its cap hit and its end are known: how the pay is split by season, and any signing bonus, are not.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2018-19 to 2018-19 $950K
2017-18 to 2017-18 $700K
2015-16 to 2017-18 $4.5M
2011-12 to 2014-15 $3.8M
2010-11 to 2010-11 $2M
2009-10 to 2009-10 $827K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2011-12 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2011-12 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+12.8Goals above replacement22nd of 48 goalies
+2.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-3.1Goals above averagehis goals saved above expected

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 48 ranked goalies: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. Goals above average is coloured as it is under Shots faced below, where it is taken per 60 minutes.

The goals he saved for his team, compared with a spare-part goalie facing the same shots. A goalie's season is about one-third the goalie and two-thirds chance, so read one year lightly. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-20-1001020302010-112012-132014-152016-172018-19Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

Shots faced

Expected goals adds up how likely each shot he faced was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. A goalie who lets in fewer than that has saved goals above expected. Only shots taken while he was in net count, and the league's goalies as a whole come out at zero. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones. What these numbers mean

-3.1Goals saved above expectedexpected goals minus goals against
155.9Expected goals againstfrom 2,634 unblocked attempts
159Goals againstwhile he was in net
0.915Save %0.916 expected from his shots

Goals saved above expected, taken per 60 minutes, and save % are coloured by where they rank among the 47 goalies who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. The two goals against tiles are left plain, since they follow how much he played.

Goals saved -0.05 above expected per 60 minutes32nd
Shot difficulty 5.9% chance per attempt faced26thA higher bar means his team gives up more dangerous shots.

Each bar shows the share of goalies he is ahead of, among the 47 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest this season.

050100150Game 10Game 20Game 30Game 40Game 50Game 60Allowed 159Expected 155.9

The goals he was expected to let in and the goals he did, as the season went on. When the allowed line runs below the expected line, he is saving more than his shots were worth.

Where he was shot at

Every unblocked attempt he faced this season, with his net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result Decision Shots against Saves Goals against Save % TOI
Apr 7, 2012 vs LAK W 3-2 (OT) 25 23 2 0.920 39:45
Apr 5, 2012 @ LAK W 6-5 (SO) W 36 31 5 0.861 65:00
Apr 3, 2012 @ DAL W 5-2 W 31 29 2 0.935 60:00
Mar 31, 2012 vs DAL W 3-0 W, SO 22 22 0 1.000 60:00
Mar 29, 2012 @ PHX L 0-2 L 33 31 2 0.939 57:53
Mar 28, 2012 @ ANA L 1-3 L 27 25 2 0.926 59:13
Mar 26, 2012 vs COL W 5-1 W 32 31 1 0.969 60:00
Mar 24, 2012 vs PHX W 4-3 (SO) W 27 24 3 0.889 64:57
Mar 22, 2012 vs BOS W 2-1 W 17 16 1 0.941 59:53
Mar 20, 2012 @ LAK L 2-5 L 41 37 4 0.902 57:57
Mar 19, 2012 vs ANA L 3-5 L 26 22 4 0.846 30:23
Mar 17, 2012 vs DET W 3-2 (OT) W 28 26 2 0.929 63:23
Mar 15, 2012 vs NSH W 2-1 (SO) W 33 32 1 0.970 64:55
Mar 13, 2012 @ CGY L 2-3 (OT) OTL 22 19 3 0.864 64:20
Mar 12, 2012 @ EDM W 3-2 W 22 20 2 0.909 60:00
Mar 10, 2012 @ PHX L 0-3 L 29 26 3 0.897 59:49
Mar 8, 2012 @ DAL L 3-4 (SO) OTL 35 32 3 0.914 64:56
Mar 6, 2012 vs EDM L 2-3 (SO) OTL 26 24 2 0.923 65:00
Mar 3, 2012 vs STL L 1-3 L 32 29 3 0.906 58:40
Mar 1, 2012 vs BUF L 0-1 L 19 18 1 0.947 59:02
Feb 28, 2012 vs PHI W 1-0 W, SO 26 26 0 1.000 60:00
Feb 25, 2012 @ NSH L 2-6 L 7 4 3 0.571 15:58
Feb 23, 2012 @ TOR W 2-1 W 30 29 1 0.967 60:00
Feb 21, 2012 @ CBJ L 3-6 11 8 3 0.727 15:18
Feb 19, 2012 @ DET L 2-3 L 28 25 3 0.893 58:26
Feb 16, 2012 @ TBL L 5-6 (OT) OTL 25 19 6 0.760 64:19
Feb 12, 2012 @ STL L 0-3 L 27 25 2 0.926 59:45
Feb 10, 2012 vs CHI W 5-3 W 33 30 3 0.909 59:51
Feb 8, 2012 vs CGY L 3-4 L 36 32 4 0.889 58:05
Feb 4, 2012 @ PHX L 3-5 L 23 19 4 0.826 57:42
Jan 31, 2012 vs CBJ W 6-0 W, SO 30 30 0 1.000 60:00
Jan 24, 2012 @ CGY W 1-0 W, SO 25 25 0 1.000 60:00
Jan 21, 2012 @ VAN L 3-4 L 30 26 4 0.867 59:04
Jan 19, 2012 vs OTT L 1-4 L 21 17 4 0.810 60:00
Jan 17, 2012 vs CGY W 2-1 (SO) W 28 27 1 0.964 65:00
Jan 15, 2012 @ CHI L 3-4 L 40 36 4 0.900 58:53
Jan 12, 2012 @ WPG W 2-0 W, SO 24 24 0 1.000 60:00
Jan 10, 2012 @ MIN L 4-5 (SO) OTL 31 27 4 0.871 65:00
Jan 7, 2012 vs WSH W 5-2 W 30 28 2 0.933 60:00
Jan 4, 2012 @ ANA W 3-1 W 27 26 1 0.963 60:00
Jan 2, 2012 @ VAN W 3-2 (SO) W 29 27 2 0.931 65:00
Dec 28, 2011 vs VAN L 2-3 (OT) OTL 30 27 3 0.900 63:23
Dec 26, 2011 vs ANA L 2-3 L 23 20 3 0.870 58:37
Dec 23, 2011 vs LAK W 2-1 (SO) W 29 28 1 0.966 65:00
Dec 21, 2011 vs TBL W 7-2 W 24 22 2 0.917 59:36
Dec 17, 2011 vs EDM W 3-2 W 25 23 2 0.920 59:48
Dec 15, 2011 vs COL W 5-4 W 27 23 4 0.852 60:00
Dec 13, 2011 @ COL L 3-4 (SO) OTL 33 30 3 0.909 63:46
Dec 11, 2011 @ CHI L 2-3 (OT) OTL 34 31 3 0.912 64:26
Dec 10, 2011 @ STL L 0-1 L 19 18 1 0.947 57:40
Dec 8, 2011 vs DAL W 5-2 W 20 18 2 0.900 59:42
Dec 6, 2011 vs MIN L 1-2 L 21 19 2 0.905 58:40
Dec 1, 2011 vs MTL W 4-3 (SO) W 32 29 3 0.906 64:49
Nov 28, 2011 @ LAK L 0-2 L 33 31 2 0.939 58:03
Nov 26, 2011 vs VAN L 2-3 L 27 24 3 0.889 58:25
Nov 23, 2011 vs CHI W 1-0 W, SO 34 34 0 1.000 59:55
Nov 19, 2011 @ DAL W 4-1 W 31 30 1 0.968 59:44
Nov 17, 2011 vs DET W 5-2 W 42 40 2 0.952 60:00
Nov 10, 2011 vs MIN W 3-1 W 22 21 1 0.955 59:54
Nov 7, 2011 vs LAK W 4-2 W 31 29 2 0.935 59:39
Nov 5, 2011 vs NSH L 3-4 (OT) OTL 35 31 4 0.886 62:42
Nov 3, 2011 vs PIT W 4-3 (SO) 6 4 2 0.667 02:04
Oct 31, 2011 @ NYR L 2-5 L 31 26 5 0.839 59:57
Oct 28, 2011 @ DET W 4-2 W 32 30 2 0.938 59:54
Oct 25, 2011 @ NSH W 3-1 W 20 19 1 0.950 60:00
Oct 22, 2011 @ BOS W 4-2 W 39 37 2 0.949 60:00
Oct 21, 2011 @ NJD W 4-3 (SO) W 19 16 3 0.842 64:32
Oct 17, 2011 vs ANA L 2-3 L 22 19 3 0.864 58:03