Gurianov, Khudobin unlikely heroes for Stars in series-clinching win

After a huge 7-3 Game 6 victory over the Calgary Flames Thursday, veteran goalie Anton Khudobin and rookie forward Denis Gurianov were joking around.

It was a perfect moment, as both were new to playoff success and both also seemed completely unfazed by it.

Khudobin as asked to describe what he sees from Gurianov's shot in practice, and laughed.

"I'm yelling at him all the time. 'Hit the net' or 'Don't hit me,'" Khudobin said, referencing Gurianov's hard shot.

"And 'don't hit the glass," Gurianov piped in while sitting next to Khudobin on their Zoom call.

"Don't hit the glass, yeah," Khudobin replied. "He's shooting pretty hard, but sometimes I have a little stinger on my shoulders. So I just yell at him 'Shoot the puck, have a good shot.'"

Gurianov did just that Thursday. He set the franchise record for goals in a playoff game with four and tied the franchise record for points in a playoff game with five (four goals, one assist). It was a breakout game for the 23-year-old who led the Stars in regular season goal scoring with 20.

Gurianov has had an up and down season, he was sent to the minors earlier, but then came back and found his groove. He was limited to 10 minutes in one of the earlier game, because interim coach Rick Bowness thought he looked nervous in his first run at the playoffs.

"Give him credit. He battled back like the rest of the team," Bowness said. "But hockey is an amazing thing. It's an amazing game, sometimes. When you're hot like Denis was all of a sudden, the puck is right on your stick at the right time.

"Those nights don't happen very often, but we all know Denis is going to be -- and is -- a special player."

Gurianov said he has tried to stay calm and focused throughout the ups and downs. The Stars' first-round pick in 2015 (12th overall), Gurianov has worked hard to live up to his pedigree. He played in Russia before coming to the AHL in 2016 and has more than three seasons of AHL hockey under his belt.

"When I got sent down I wasn't mad at anybody or anything," he said. "I just tried to work harder and get there and play my hockey and help team to win. I just tried to find my games."

Now, he's doing just that. He used his quick release on his first goal, taking a pass from Miro Heiskanen and wheeling toward the net to cut the deficit to 3-2. He then had a puck deflect off of his skate for the tying goal as he battled in front of the net. The hat trick goal was a trademark laser shot that Khudobin was talking about as he snapped a wrister in off of the rush. The fourth was a nice rebound goal as she showed drive to get to the net and good presence once he got there.

"Boys just said, 'Shoot the puck,'" Gurianov said. "I'm glad I got a hat trick and I'm glad we won. It's the most important thing, moving forward and getting ready for the second round."

That's where Gurianov might be able to show even more.

As for Khudobin, he too is a rookie of sorts. The 34-year-old backup goalie had not started a playoff game before this year. Now, with Ben Bishop sidelined by an ailment, Khudobin is the No. 1 and adjusting to the pressure.

He allowed three goals on the first seven shots as the Stars were a scrambly mess in their own zone. But he said he didn't get rattled.

"After the three, I was calm to be honest," Khudobin said. "I don't want to seem cocky or whatever, but I felt something was going to happen. I just tried to put away all of the things out of my head after the first three and just focus on the next shot. Regroup, and just keep going."

After allowing the third goal, Khudobin stopped 34 straight shots. Now, he has won his first playoff series and is 4-3-0 in the playoffs with a 2.49 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

"After first playoff win, one round win, trust me, it feels good under my belt," Khudobin said. "It feels really well, but at the same time, I know what's ahead of us."

Quick hits

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

Video: DAL@CGY, Gm6: Gurianov records four-goal gameis a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter Video: DAL@CGY, Gm6: Gurianov records four-goal game, and listen to his Video: DAL@CGY, Gm6: Gurianov records four-goal game.