Highway Dobbery: Khudobin saves Stars, helps steal Game 4 against Knights

Anton Khudobin saved the Stars Saturday, and then the Stars saved themselves.
Khudobin, who has been nothing short of spectacular in the Western Conference Final, stopped 32 shots in a 2-1 win that gave the Stars a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series against the Vegas Golden Knights. But as much as he looked like a one-man show for much of the game, what the 34-year-old goalie really did was buy his teammates enough time to find their game.

When they did, Dallas got key goals from Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn and then did an impressive job of closing the door on Vegas in the final six minutes of the game.
"We play with confidence," said forward Corey Perry. "Dobby made some big saves for us in timely situations and that's confidence. It starts with Dobby and goes all the way out."
Vegas, which was favored in this series, was facing the prospect of getting pushed to an elimination game Monday, so it charged out of the gate in Game 4. While Dallas earned two early power plays, the Golden Knights strangled both, and then got two of their own. If not for Khudobin, the Stars could have been in a big hole and trying to dig out.
Instead, the furthest Dallas got down was 1-0 in the second period.
Alec Martinez scored on a power play for Vegas at the 7:44 mark of the second period, and that seemed to give the Golden Knights the boost they needed to break through against Khudobin. Instead, Dallas came right back with several good shifts and earned a lucky bounce. With Vegas trying to exit the zone, Andrew Cogliano got a puck to Pavelski, and the veteran center flipped a backhand shot that deflected off of a Vegas stick and high over Robin Lehner to tie the game at the 11:34 mark of the second period.

At the very least, the Stars appeared to be headed to the third period with a tie game and a great opportunity, but then Benn came through with another huge goal. With Dallas on the power play, John Klingberg flipped a shot through a Pavelski screen, and Lehner kicked out a juicy rebound. Benn was there to lift in the rebound at the 19:01 mark of the second period, and that held up as the game-winning goal.
It was a huge statement for the Stars power play, which had been horrible in the series. It was a huge statement for the team's best players, who once again came through in the crunch. After that, all it took was the entire roster.
Radek Faksa missed the game because of an injury, and Roope Hintz left the game because of an injury. That meant the Stars were trying to juggle lines and fit things together with the forward group. Tyler Seguin led the forwards with 21:32 in ice time and had a big blocked shot late in the game. Pavelski played 20:40, was involved in both goals, and added six hits and a 9-for-16 night in the faceoff circle. Benn logged 17:53, had the big goal and went 8-for-12 on draws.
Jason Dickinson, who took up the slack for Faksa, logged 19:01, including 3:12 shorthanded. Andrew Cogliano, who came in after three healthy scratches, played 12:31 including 2:40 shorthanded.
They all became relevant as the team was trying to hold onto the one-goal lead down the stretch. First, Pavelski took a trip and then Dickinson followed with another trip, handing Vegas a two-man advantage for more than a minute. The Stars killed that off, allowing three shots from distance, and then suffocated the remainder of the game.
"When the game is on the line, you've got to do whatever it takes to win, and our guys were doing that," Bowness said. "They had some huge shot blocks, they did a great job on that 5-on-3. They gutted that out, they blocked the shots, they paid the price, and we got the win."

Of course, that never would have happened without Khudobin. While he has been a No. 2 goalie to Ben Bishop for the past two seasons, the Stars refer to him as a No. 1B. With Bishop out because of an undisclosed injury, Khudobin has had to become a playoff No. 1 goalie for the first time in his life.
"He's a fighter, he's a battler, he's a competitive guy, and we've seen this for two years now," Bowness said. "That's what he is and he's going to battle right to the end. That's why the guys love playing in front of him. He's keeping us in every game."
Khudobin has stopped 119 of 125 shots in four games against Vegas for a .952 save percentage. He is frustrating the opposition and allowing the Stars the chance to make big plays.
"He's been solid back there for us," Perry said. "He's made big saves at crucial times. He doesn't get fazed. He just keeps going, next shift. He just keeps battling for pucks and it's giving everybody confidence on that bench."
Of course, Khudobin sees it as all linked together. His confidence comes from his teammates playing hard in front of him.
"The way the guys are battling, the way they are blocking shots. They have bruises, they have bumps, and they still sacrifice their bodies," Khudobin said. "Even if they can't, they still try, and they're working their ass off to make sure I see the puck."

And that might be the key to all of this. Yes, Vegas is outshooting the Stars and dominating the series in terms of possession, but somehow Dallas is one win away from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
"You can't play the shot clock," said Pavelski. "There is a big commitment in our locker room. Would we like better stretches at times? Absolutely. We understand where we're at, and we haven't done anything yet. We're one step closer, but nothing has been accomplished yet."
In fact, a win in Game 4 when there is much to fix might be the best thing for the Stars. They will definitely enter Game 5 with a desire to play better.
"We didn't come here to win one or two or three rounds, we came here to win the Stanley Cup," Bowness said. "The focus is entirely on that. We know where we are, we know we can play a little better than we have this series, but every win is an important win.
"We came here to win the Stanley Cup, and that's our objective."

Game 5: Stars vs. Golden Knights (Dallas leads 3-1)

Monday, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV:NBCSN
Radio:The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
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.