Antti Niemi couldn’t replicate his success from a year ago

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports One year ago, Antti Niemi redeemed himself, and his career, in Montreal. On a team without many bright spots, Niemi’s play earned him a new contract and a full year as Carey Price’s backup. This year, Niemi was not able to replicate that success and will find himself with a new organization next season.

After rebounding on his third team last season, Niemi had the worst statistical season of his career in 2018-19. His 3.78 goals against average and .887 save percentage were both the worst full-season marks of his career. Among goaltenders with at least nine starts, Niemi had the worst quality start percentage (.235%). A quality start is a game at which the…