"We have full confidence in both of them," Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said. "Dobby has been on fire and he deserved that start."
Khudobin is 5-0-2 in his last seven starts, while Bishop is 3-3-1. Both are good, but Khudobin has been just a little bit better. That has allowed Khudobin to move up to tops in the league in save percentage at .930 and third in goals against average at 2.23.
Bishop isn't far back at 2.49 (10th) and .921 (eighth), but those numbers are behind the incredibly high ceiling he set for himself last season when he led the NHL in save percentage at .934 and was second in goals against average at 1.98. The 33-year-old is in the middle of a six-year contract and started all 13 playoff games last season, so he is the No. 1 goalie.
"Bish is the guy, there's no question about that. He is the guy, and that will never be a debate," Bowness said. "But when Dobby is playing as well as he has, he deserves to play, it's as simple as that. Don't overcomplicate it and don't overanalyze it. Dobby has played great, and let's just leave it at that."
While we all love a good goalie controversy, the Stars would rather look at it as a good goalie collaboration. Dallas plays five of the next six games at home (and 10 of the next 14), and both Bishop and Khudobin are better at home than they are on the road. The Stars as a team allow 2.23 goals per game on home ice and 2.82 on the road.