Heika's Take: Is Holtby making a case to take the No. 1 role in net?

DALLAS -- The Stars have been seeking clarity in their goaltending chaos this preseason, and Braden Holtby broke through like a sunny day Tuesday night.
Holtby, the 32-year-old goalie signed to a one-year free agent contract in the summer, made 27 saves in a 3-1 preseason win over the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center. Combined with his 15 saves in the preseason opener a week ago, Holtby now has a 1.20 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in 100 minutes of exhibition hockey with his new team.

"He was great," Stars head coach Rick Bowness said. "He played a very good game. We love his poise, we love his ability to handle the puck, he gets it and moves it right away in the right spots. He was really, really good, so we're very thrilled with what we saw tonight."

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The Stars have struggled in net in the preseason, with Anton Khudobin posting a 5.15 GAA and .857 save percentage, while Jake Oettinger has a 2.86 and .879, respectively. With Ben Bishop not expected to play a preseason game as he continues to try to come back from knee surgery, there seems to be an opening for a player to make a statement.
So far, that player has been Holtby.
"I thought he was awesome," said Tyler Seguin, who had an assist and eight shot attempts in 18:14 of ice time.
After helping the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018, Holtby was allowed to test free agency in the summer of 2020. He signed a two-year deal with Vancouver, but then posted a 7-11-3 record with a 3.67 GAA and .889 save percentage. The Canucks bought him out and he signed a one-year deal with the Stars for $2 million. He's definitely in a place where he has to prove himself, but he said he likes that.
Asked if he has a chip on his shoulder, Holtby said, "I look at that as I'm lucky enough to have an opportunity to play on an extremely good team. Any chance you have to win and compete for a championship, that's exciting. The last couple of years have just been strange. It felt like the work I got to do last year, I think there are some key elements that I added to my game that have helped."

Holtby didn't have a regular training camp and preseason last year as he tried to adapt to the Canucks. He said getting the chance to come to Texas, settle in, and go through the normal paces has been invigorating.
"I'm just trying to get back in there and get comfortable," Holtby said. "My strengths go well with the strengths of this team, and I think that's one thing that has been fun so far. The guys play very well.
"It's obviously different being on a new team," he added. "It's my first full camp not in Washington, so I'm just trying to get to know the guys and not step on anyone's toes and get your game going. It's been a fun challenge. I just try to show up at the rink and work as hard as I can."
That's been a trademark of Holtby's impression so far. He gets to the rink early, he puts the work in, and he's genuine in his desire to fit in.
"He works hard, he's the first guy on the ice," Bowness said. "He was out there early skating getting ready for today. He's a real pro. His work habits and his professionalism and his preparation. He's a real pro."
As for those teammates Holtby talked about, the Stars used a group of defensemen who could fill in the bottom pairing, and they were great. Joel Hanley had a goal and an assist, Andrej Sekera had an assist and logged 18:23, Alexander Petrovic logged 18:44 and had three hits and three blocked shots, and Andreas Borgman logged 16:50. It was a nice sign of what the Stars can do throughout the lineup.
"Hanley had a goal with Reggie [Sekera] down by the net," Bowness said. "Petrovic was good, Borgman was good, all our D were real good tonight. And that's pretty much (the Blues') team, and they were coming at us. We bent a little at times, but we didn't break, so very happy with all of the D."

And if the team can mix solid D with solid goaltending, well, the season should be a little more exciting. Seguin combined on a line with Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov and the trio had nine shots on goal. Luke Glendening scored the game-winning goal in the third period, and Jacob Peterson continued to make a case for being in the opening night lineup.
It was a good game all around.
Holtby was the exclamation point, of course, but he added that he was fortunate to have two Blues shots ring off the post and bounce out - otherwise it could've been a different game.
"It's a good feeling, obviously," Holtby said. "Those don't happen very often. The first one was one you're really thankful for, especially this time of year. It's nice to have those. Hockey is a game where if they score those two goals that hit the post, you're looking at it differently. It's just good getting back into it."
And that's another part of Holtby's game that you really like.
"Knowing he's got this opportunity here, every day he comes in and grinds and competes," Seguin said. "He's a good goalie and we're blessed to have four awesome goalies. That's a blessing for our organization. Competition is always good."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.