First Shift 🏒
One of the reasons the Stars have been so good on the road – and so good on the second night of back-to-back games – has been their goaltending.
Dallas currently boasts a 1.67 goals against average, the best in the league. That’s no surprise when you consider they were second in GAA across an 82-game schedule last year. It’s what Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have helped the Stars become.
“It’s huge,” said forward Seguin. “We’ve got great goaltending and that means we’re in every game. That’s a great feeling, because you know it’s going to be there.”
Oettinger was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week after posting two shutouts last week. He credited his teammates with selling out to block shots and keeping the front of the net clean.
“It’s a team effort,” he said. “It feels great when you see your guys working so hard for you. It helps a lot.”
Head coach Glen Gulutzan said Oettinger’s intensity has been a key.
“Just the way he’s seeing the puck,” Gulutzan said before Tuesday’s game. “Finding pucks through traffic. I think when he’s at his best, even last year when I saw him, I made a comment to Reeser [goaltending coach Jeff Reese]: Just reading the play, especially when there’s traffic, and finding those pucks. I think he’s done a great job with that.”
Oettinger said he has felt good on the ice.
“It’s awesome, it’s like a flow, like not thinking about anything,” Oettinger said. “For me, I always find I feel like a little kid. I’m having fun. I feel like I’m playing outside on an outdoor rink, and you’re just battling and having a blast.”
DeSmith said he adopts a similar attitude.
“I think if you just follow your program and prepare, the rest takes care of itself,” he said. “As a backup, I have to be ready for anything, so it helps to just live day-to-day. That’s really been the key for me.”
