Thursday, January 20, 2011

Antero Niittymaki on Injured Reserve; Stalock Time?

The San Jose Sharks have placed goalie Antero Niittymaki on injured reserve.

Word is that he was injured (lower body, no specifics in yet) during Thursday's morning skate in Vancouver, where the Sharks played the Canucks on Thursday.

The Sharks didn't have time to bring anyone up from the minors or sign a free agent, so they plucked a goalie in from the University of British Columbia on an amateur tryout.

A player on injured reserve has to sit out at least seven days, so San Jose has to find another goalie to at least back up Antti Niemi while Niittymaki is out.

Could this be former UMD Bulldog star Alex Stalock's shot?

Stalock is the No. 1 goalie at AHL Worcester, and he has yet to see any time in the NHL. He set the rookie record for wins by a goalie last year, and he has been playing well after a relatively slow start to this season.

Certainly, Bulldog fans are rooting for this outcome. We'll keep you posted.

NOTE: The Sharks told FanHouse colleague A.J. Perez that they wouldn't make a decision until Friday morning at the earliest. The team's next game is Saturday night at home against Minnesota.

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