SAN JOSE, Calif (AP) - Antti Niemi made 34 saves against his former team for his first shutout of the season and Jason Demers broke a scoreless tie late in the second period with his first goal to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.
Niemi was tested often as San Jose was sluggish at the start and also helped kill off a power play late in the third period with a toe save against Jonathan Toews to give the Sharks their fourth straight win and sixth in the past seven games.
Niemi, who helped Chicago knock out San Jose on the way to winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, got the best of his former team in his 14th career shutout. He improved to 4-1 and has allowed only 10 goals in five games against the Blackhawks since signing with the Sharks before last season.