Heika's Take: Jake "the real deal" Oettinger

DALLAS --In a lot of ways, Jake Oettinger stunned the NHL last season. The 23-year-old goalie not only posted a 1.81 GAA and .954 save percentage in a seven-game series against the Calgary Flames, he stopped 64 shots in a 3-2 Game 7 loss in overtime and almost stole the series for the Stars.
And as good as that was, there was a questions still to be asked of the rookie netminder - could he continue this kind of play when he was anointed as the No. 1 goalie in the regular season?
So far, so good.

Oettinger stopped 27 shots Thursday and posted the third shutout of his career in a 2-0 win over the Washington Capitals. He wakes up Friday with a 1.17 GAA and .960 save percentage in six games so far this season.
"What do you say?" Stars coach Pete DeBoer asked rhetorically, a sign of how impressed he is. "We knew that we had a starting goalie, but until you come out and do it every night, you always wonder if it's real. It's real. He's the real deal."
Oettinger is 5-1-0 and has led the Stars to a 5-2-1 start. He is a huge part of the team's vibes, and he looks like he can maintain this level of play going forward.
"It's a never-ending process," Oettinger said. "You can always get better at something. It's a long season. Things have gone well to start, but there are going to be tough ones too. It's all part of the process."

So far, he has handled every tough situation. On Thursday, the Stars were coming off a four-game road trip and facing a Washington team with one of the greatest scorers in NHL history, Alex Ovechkin. Oettinger stopped seven shots from Ovechkin, including a couple of huge blasts.
"Get big and hope it hits you," he said of his strategy. "Every game is an opportunity to make a big save, and thankfully I was able to do that tonight."
And if he does that, the team and the coaching staff get more and more confidence.
"He's got a great demeanor," DeBoer said. "He's very professional but also has a real calming personality. He doesn't get too high or too low. What gets overlooked sometimes is that the guys have to want to play for you. They have to want to throw themselves in front of a puck to help you out because you're a good guy and a good teammate. He's got all of those qualities."
Oettinger knew the pressure would be there after the playoffs, but it was more motivating than scary.
"You've seen goalies in the past go on crazy runs and not be able to sustain a great career," he said. "If I do what I do every day and do all of the little things continually, I'm going to like my game and play well for a long time hopefully.
And building up his shutout numbers is a nice fringe benefit.
"Those are really hard to come by in this league, and it takes a full team effort," he said of the shutout. "A ton of guys did a ton of things for me tonight, and our PK has been unreal this whole season. I owe a lot of guys thanks for tonight."
The Stars had a great team effort in front of their goalie. Missing Miro Heiskanen for the second game because of an upper body injury, Dallas received strong play from the entire group of defensemen. Nils Ludkvist had a hard shot that Jason Robertson tipped in for the first goal, and five different defensemen played more than 19 minutes.

The fourth line also had a great effort, as the trio of Radek Faksa, Luke Glendening and Joel Kiviranta combined for seven shots on goal. Kiviranta scored a shorthanded goal to put the game away in the third period, while the line helped create the energy that set up the first goal. The trio also killed penalties and drew a penalty to set up a power play.
And if the team gets balanced play from its skaters and great goaltending, then the chance for big things looks pretty real.
"It's such a luxury to have a guy like that because he makes hard saves look easy and your team plays with composure in front of him, because they know that he's got those pucks," DeBoer said. "So it has a ripple effect on our group."
And if you ask Oettinger, he plans to continue this level of play.
"I can be one of the best goalies in the league, and I'm proving it every night," he said. "The team hasn't asked me to save the world or anything, just do your job and make a few big saves every night. I plan on doing that hopefully every night for this team."
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.