Oettinger makes 64 saves for Stars in Game 7 OT loss

CALGARY --Johnny Gaudreau raised his hands in the air, the forward jumping up as linemate Elias Lindholm hugged him after the Calgary Flames finally won after 134 shot attempts in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday.

Sixty-seven of those shots got through to Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, who saved 64 of them and looked like he was going to steal the best-of-7 series and deny Western Canadian hockey fans the chance to witness a "Battle of Alberta" in the second round between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers. But Calgary found a way, and it's no surprise the face of the franchise was responsible.
Gaudreau scored at 15:09 of overtime, sending the Flames to Round 2 with a 3-2 victory. They'll host Game 1 against the Oilers on Wednesday.
"I was just trying to put it on net," Gaudreau said. "That kid played pretty well throughout the whole series. Just tried to get pucks to the net. It found the net there."
RELATED: [Complete Flames vs. Stars series coverage]
That "kid," Oettinger, had all of about 36 minutes of experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs prior to this series, mop-up duty in two games during the 2020 playoffs. The 23-year-old showed he was capable of more this time around and saved his best performance for Game 7 with 64 saves, the second-most in Game 7 in NHL history behind Kelly Hrudey of the New York Islanders, who made 73 saves against the Washington Capitals in the 1987 Patrick Division Semifinals. That game required four overtimes.
"We have a franchise goalie, no question," Dallas coach Rick Bowness said. "You go into overtime with Jake, you know it's going to take a perfect shot to beat him, and it was a perfect shot. Johnny made a perfect shot, right under the bar. You can't do anything about that.
"But Jake Oettinger, he's a franchise goalie and the good news is, he'll keep getting better. He's a young guy, this is his first run in the playoffs, he's going to gain from this experience. The Dallas Stars are in good shape for a long time with Jake."
Oettinger said he found a rhythm, especially in the second period, when the Stars were outshot 26-4. He made 24 saves, and it was 2-2 after 40 minutes.
"I learned how fun the playoffs are and that's what it's all about, being in these situations and giving yourself an opportunity to win," Oettinger said. "So, I've never been more motivated than I am right now and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that I get this opportunity again and I'll make sure I'm on the other side of it the next time."

Oettinger earned a lot of respect, including from Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom, who had kind words for Oettinger in the handshake line. Markstrom made 26 saves in Game 7.
"He just said it was a fun battle and I have a bright future," Oettinger said. "Obviously, he's a heck of a goalie and it was fun for me to be able to square up against a Vezina Trophy finalist."
Prior to the series, Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said, "if there's a comparable in this series, it's the two goalies." Sutter continued his praise for Oettinger following Game 7.
"He was the best player in the series, that's for sure," Sutter said.
The Flames face another tough test ahead against Connor McDavid and the Oilers. It's the fifth time Calgary and Edmonton have clashed in the playoffs, but it'll be the first since 1991 in the Smythe Division Semifinals. Edmonton won that series in seven games.
The Flames averaged 2.14 goals per game against the Stars, 15th among NHL playoff teams (Dallas was last at two per game), but they were first in allowing two goals per game. The Oilers averaged 3.86 goals per game and allowed 2.43 goals per game (fourth among playoff teams in both categories) against the Los Angeles Kings, who they eliminated in seven games in the first round.
"I mean, I've been here for nine years and never had even a sniff of a chance to play them in the playoffs," Gaudreau said. "It's pretty special and it'll be a lot of fun. It's going to be good for the province. It's going to be fun for them, for us. It's going to be a pretty cool series."
One that nearly didn't happen because of Oettinger. He finished the series with a 1.81 goals-against average, a .954 save percentage and one shutout in seven starts. He made 29 saves in a 2-0 win here in Game 2.
"We didn't lose belief at all," Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "I said it out there. I could've told you after Game 1, definitely after Game 2, this series was going to go the distance. They played us so hard and made us earn every inch. Our guys in there that have won way more playoffs series than us say that's one of if not the hardest rounds they've played.
"You have to tip your hat to Dallas. They're a great hockey club, and they're going to have one of the best goalies in the League here very soon, and their D-core plays really well, also, really strong and hard to get to the net. They played us hard."
NHL.com independent correspondent Aaron Vickers contributed to this story