Khudobin is the perfect backup goalie - and Stars might really need him

Anton Khudobin is the perfect backup goalie.

He'll chat up officials during a game.

He'll keep practices light with his antics.

He'll slide into the Winter Classic team picture as the perfect punctuation to a perfect day.

Oh yeah, and he'll win a few games for you, too.

That last one was pretty big on Sunday, as Khudobin came up big in helping the Stars to a 2-1 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues in the final round-robin game at the Edmonton playoff bubble.

The victory was important for a few reasons. One, Dallas hadn't actually walked off the ice with a win since Feb. 25 -- a stretch of games that covered an 0-4-2 slump before the NHL's Pause, an exhibition loss to Nashville and two defeats to Vegas and Colorado in the round-robin. Two, and maybe most important, the win gives the Stars a huge boost in confidence heading into their first-round playoff series with Calgary.

Now, Khudobin didn't do it all himself. In fact, the Stars had a 40-26 advantage in shots on goal and a huge edge in shot attempts (on goal, blocked and missed the net) of 72-41. Joe Pavelski scored with Khudobin on the bench in the final minute, and Denis Gurianov was the only shooter to score in the shootout, so they too deserve plenty of credit.

But as the Stars ponder the possibility that Ben Bishop -- who has missed the past two games because he is "unfit to play" -- might not be available for the first game of the playoffs, nobody is worried.

Khudobin is that good.

"There's a loose side to him and there's an incredibly competitive side to him," Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said. "The loose side is great around the guys and at practice and in the locker room, and then when the puck drops that is one competitive guy. So the guys feed off him both ways. It's great to have his personality, but it's also great that when the puck drops he's one of the better competitors in the league."

Bishop played almost every minute of the playoffs last season. He finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy. If he's healthy, there's a very good chance he'll start Game 1 against the Flames. However, he has had some injury history in his past, and he hasn't been available the past two games. That means that Khudobin might play a huge role in whether or not the Stars' season goes one.

The 34-year-old journeyman is on his fifth NHL team. He has never started a playoff game before and had logged just 38 postseason minutes in 11 seasons before this year. Yes, he started these past two, and those technically are listed as "playoff" games, but this is a strange year and these are strange times. So when Khudobin really actually steps into the crease at a time where a loss could hasten the trip to the gold course, well, the pressure will be different.

And yet … that doesn't seem to matter to him. Khudobin finished first in save percentage during the regular season at .930 and third in goals against average 2.22. He knows he can compete. Asked about getting ready for these two starts, Khudobin said he really just did what he always does.

"To be honest, I wasn't thinking about it," Khudobin said. "I wanted to play. I wanted to find my game, because we didn't play for a long time."

He's done that. He allowed four goals under significant duress in facing Colorado. He allowed one in facing a pretty hungry St. Louis team. After Pavelski scored to tie the game, Khudobin came on and was solid in overtime. He then stopped three shootout attempts and sent the Stars home with a win.

It was a huge emotional moment for a team that needed some positivity, and it was a very nice confidence-builder for a team that might have to lean on its "backup" goalie in just a couple of days.

"From what I've seen, obviously he battles on the ice and he does everything there, but in the locker room, he's a real calming presence," Pavelski said. "As big of a personality as he has, he's just level as well. When he speaks, he says the right thing a lot. He's got a lot of respect in that room."

And it doesn't matter if that's while he's being a complete goofball or when he's showing his teammates just how much he wants to win.

Khudobin said he doesn't need to know when he's going to start, but that the coaching staff was good telling him the day before each of his past two games. If he gets that warning, he's happy with it. If not, he's fine with that too.

It's what makes him the perfect backup goalie for a team that might really need him soon.

"You know he's going to show up and he's going to battle every inch of the way," Bowness said. "We know what we're going to get when we put Dobby in the net. He's very competitive, he's very consistent, and he's going to give you everything he's got."

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Video: Bowness thrilled with Stars' performance in victoryis a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter Video: Bowness thrilled with Stars' performance in victory, and listen to his Video: Bowness thrilled with Stars' performance in victory.