Oettinger, Stars look forward to longest road trip of the season
Dallas ranks second in road power play at 25.2 percent and fifth in road penalty kill at 83.5 percent
By
Mike Heika
Senior Staff Writer
"I don't know. Maybe I like playing the villain," the affable 24-year-old said with a smile.
The Stars on Thursday will begin their longest road trip of the season, a six-game sojourn that will wind from Buffalo to Seattle and then through Western Canada. The segment comes at an important time. The Western Conference standings have tightened up, and the journey through the Pacific will not only test the team but possibly reveal a lot with just 18 games remaining before the playoffs start.
Coach Pete DeBoer ran the troops through some tough drills on Wednesday, getting them ready for the road games.
"We're just trying to get our road mindset in the right place," DeBoer said. "I think the key to playing on the road is not beating yourself, controlling the neutral zone, defending hard, staying out of the penalty box, not turning pucks over. Those same things are important at home, but more critical on the road."
Dallas embraced that tough simplicity earlier in the year when they played a large portion of the first quarter of the season away from home. The Stars dug in, got off to a great start and took over first place in the Central Division. They have stayed in that spot for much of the season because of the road games. Dallas ranks seventh in the league in road points percentage at .650, second in road power play at 25.2 percent and fifth in road penalty kill at 83.5 percent.
They also allow fewer goals than any team in the league on the road at 2.25.
Oettinger is a big reason for this. Dallas allows 29.6 shots on goal against at home and 32.5 on the road, so the defense isn't just taking away all the chances against. Instead, the big goalie is having a lot of fun being the "villain."
"It is fun to me," Oettinger said. "I enjoy that part of it."
DeBoer said having a goalie who likes the pressure is always a good thing. He had Martin Brodeur in New Jersey and said the netminder was defiant when the opposing crowd would heat up or the shot clock would turn heavily against the Devils.
"What I've seen with Jake is what I've seen with some of the other great goaltenders that I've coached," DeBoer said. "Marty Brodeur is an example. They just love hostile environments. They have the ability to raise their levels at critical times and in tough situations."
The Stars have played 14 of the past 17 games at American Airlines Center, with the three road games consisting of one-game trips. The last time they played consecutive road games was in January. This means they have to find a new attitude for the next two weeks.
"It's a great challenge," said Oettinger. "The road is where you get to hang out with the boys and have fun and go to battle. I definitely think we enjoy it. We're going to have a lot of time to spend together, and hopefully we can play simple and play hard. I think it's a key point in the season. If we have a great road trip, it will just propel us into the playoffs."
Dallas added two new players before the trade deadline in Evgenii Dadonov and Max Domi. This will be a good opportunity to get to know the new guys and to reconnect with the old guys. It's a fantastic opportunity to bond again.
"It's nice," forward Tyler Seguin said. "We've been home for a while and it's time to get back on the grind, face adversity and face those long flights together. Sometimes you find that consistency when you get on the road and play that playoff-type game."
And if they're looking for a leader, there's no better road warrior than Oettinger. He is 16-5-7 at home and 10-4-3 on the road. His 2.66 GAA at home ranks 17th and his .908 save percentage ranks 25th. That's a pretty stark contrast to his road numbers.
"I definitely want to fix those and get more consistent, but I just need to concentrate on one game at a time," Oettinger said.
And right now, those games are on the road.
"We're in a great spot, but we want to finish first in our division, and we know we have to play well to do that," Oettinger said. "I'm looking forward to this."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
