splinter

[slicer]

Player A has Engineered Explosives in play with 2 open Mana. Player B plays Splinter on EE. Player A sac's the artifact in response. Can Player B despite the sacrifice search for all copies in hand, grave and library ?
This question came up, because of the dot after "Remove target artifact from the game". Does that mean, that this are 2 independent actions and if the first is illegal ( no target anymore) the second will resolve nevertheless ( the target has already been chosen on announcement) ?

Splinter:
Rules Text (Oracle): Remove target artifact from the game. Search its controller’s graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with the same name as that artifact and remove them from the game. That player then shuffles his or her library.

Thank you

[Jacques]

The search doesn't happen.  All of the spell's targets are illegal, so the spell is countered upon resoliution.