ALBANY - Antero Niittymaki made 26 saves in his first action of the season in helping the AHLs Worcester Sharks to a 5-1 win in Albany on Friday night.
Niittymaki is on a conditioning assignment from San Jose, as he recovers from hip surgery in September.
After the game, he told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette:
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It was OK. The first period, I didnt have that many shots, but I was busier in the second period and could feel myself getting into it more. You always want to win, but for me, how I felt was important, too.
Tommy Wingels and Jack Combs had two goals apiece for Worcester, which won its fourth straight game and improved to 6-0-1 in December.
Niittymaki's last American Hockey League game came in 2005, when he was the winning goaltender for the Philadelphia Phantoms as they clinched the Calder Cup as AHL champions. Niittymaki was named playoff MVP that season.