SPORTSNET.CA

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Stevens named Antero Niittymaki their No. 1 goalie Wednesday, demoting Marty Biron to the backup role.

Biron started the year as the team's starter and took the bulk of the load early on. But he has struggled lately while Niittymaki has gotten hot, leading Stevens to make the switch.

The South Jersey Courier-Post reported Stevens as saying after practice Tuesday: "It's not as if we're breaking a rule that's never been broken before. I don't know how many teams have the luxury of having two guys in the prime of their career on the same team that are capable of playing at a high level. We're one of them and I think we can use that to our advantage."

Niittymaki, who will be in net as the Flyers host the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, has won five of his past six starts. He is 13-4 with 2.48 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.

Biron was pulled Saturday against the Boston Bruins after giving up three goals in the first period. Niittymaki shut out the Bruins for the final two frames and the first three minutes overtime, picking up a win when the Flyers scored.

Biron, who said he needs to work hard to return to the form he displayed during last year's post-season, is 15-11 with a 2.96 GAA (.904).