Antero Niittymaki will be in goal and forward Jamie McGinn will
be in the lineup for the second consecutive night Saturday as the
San Jose Sharks look to sweep the Columbus Blue Jackets in the
Compuware NHL Premiere Series in Stockholm, Sweden.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden
Antero Niittymaki will be in goal and forward Jamie McGinn will be in the lineup for the second consecutive night Saturday as the San Jose Sharks look to sweep the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Compuware NHL Premiere Series in Stockholm, Sweden.
After Antti Niemi made 30 saves Friday night in a 3-2 San Jose win to open the season, Niittymaki was tabbed to play between the pipes tonight by coach Todd McLellan. McGinn, boarded at the conclusion of an icing race by Blue Jacket Mike Commodore in the third period, was ticketed to play again despite the hard contact into the end boards.
“(Jamie) feels good enough and the trainers tell us he’s good. He’s going to play,” McLellan said. “He’s put himself in position with a good training camp where he’s playing with some pretty good players (linemates Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi) and I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose that opportunity.
“Jamie’s very fortunate that he went into the boards the way he did.”
McGinn was able to continue play in the third period.
“A little stiff,” McGinn said of how he felt this morning. “I went in head first. I was fortunate the way I went in. Probably the best way I could have gone in. I just went in so fast I knew I was going to hit that I turned my body the best I could just so I wouldn’t take the full impact on my head.”
After Commodore was sent to the box for a two-minute minor penalty, San Jose snapped the 2-2 tie with Logan Couture’s goal with 10:15 left in the third.
“I’m glad I’m OK,” McGinn said. “We got the goal on the next power play and that’s all that matters.
“I was chasing down the icing call because we were tired and we needed a change. On the icing you can’t get a change.”
McLellan saw some changes in the game tactics new Blue Jacket coach Scott Arniel brought into the new season during Friday’s close game.
“They were real aggressive on the forecheck, pinched just about everything,” McLellan said. “We didn’t handle it well, especially early in the game, but I thought later on we handled it a little better, maybe – created some out-numbered rushes, which would have been in our favor.
“I’d like us to be a little smarter when we put ourselves in penalty situation. We took three in the offensive zone that we’d like to avoid.”
McLellan added that “there could be some shuffling around (in the lineup). It’ll all be game-time decisions.”
