Wedgewood puts forth strong performance in net against Avalanche

Jake Oettinger has yet to play a game in preseason, but that will be fixed soon enough.

Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood has played five periods and has a 2.40 GAA and .929 save percentage. That’s a great start for a goalie who missed a month and a half near the end of last season and then played sparingly in the playoffs. For the 31-year-old who signed a two-year contract extension in the summer, it was a nice chance to get his feet wet.

“You want to feel as many reps and situations as you can,” Wedgewood said.

Wedgewood played the first two periods on Sunday at Colorado and allowed three goals on 22 shots. He then stepped aside so Chris Gibson could play the third period and overtime. Gibson made 14 saves before falling, 4-3, in overtime. That defeat drops the Stars to 3-0-1 in preseason, but it seems the team is finding out a lot of good things.

Goal scorers against the Avalanche were Nick Caamano, Nils Lundkvist and Matěj Blümel. Lundkvist is pushing to become a lineup regular this season, while Blümel and Caamano will likely start the year in the AHL with the Texas Stars. Blümel is making a strong impression, as he has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) and 18 shots on goal in three preseason games. Lundkvist, 23, played 24:26 and was the team leader on defense. That’s a big accomplishment for someone who was a healthy scratch in the playoffs last season.

But as good as those signs were, the stability of Wedgewood is probably the most important news. Wedgewood suffered a lower body injury in February and missed 19 games. Oettinger had to play 16 of those 19 games, which wasn’t ideal in getting ready for the playoffs.

Wedgewood said he worked hard in the summer in hopes of avoiding a repeat.

“I think it’s just getting into games,” Wedgewood said of getting back into the flow of the season. “My physical shape is fine. It’s just holding your edges longer than you would in practice and then getting used to zone time, power play time. In practice, you can get in single reps, but it’s more being out there for the whole game. Situational awareness. It’s just doing it consistently at a high level.”

With three games remaining, Wedgewood will likely get another full start before the regular season begins. He said he would really like to up his game total after starting 18 last season.

“I started 18 last year with the injury, and I think the plan would have been seven more down the stretch,” he said. “So, I’ll shoot for mid-20s. I think for the team, that would be a projection that would be healthy for both of us.”

Oettinger played in 62 games last season, fourth most in the NHL, so getting him down into the 50s is something the coaching staff would like to see. Still, you can only prepare hard and hope for the best.

“No matter how much you do it in practice, we’re not laying out guys to block shots or teeing up one-timers or crashing the net as hard as you would in a game,” Wedgewood said of the benefits of facing another team. “So as much as you can, get those reps before the season starts, and then you’ll be ready for the games.”

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.