Taking aim: Bow relishes opportunity in battle to be Stars' No. 3 goalie

Maybe no position in hockey is more mercurial than goalie.
In addition to the incredible swings in action and momentum during a game, you also can go from forgotten man to most important player in a hot second.
Meet Landon Bow, for example.
The 23-year-old entered training camp in a three-way battle to secure a spot with Texas of the AHL. On Friday, he will start for the Dallas Stars with a fantastic lineup in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues because backup goalie Anton Khudobin is dealing with some maintenance.

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"It's a great opportunity for me," Bow said after the morning skate. "This is as close to an NHL lineup as I have ever played with, so it's a big game."
Bow has earned this chance. He signed out of Major Junior as a free agent in 2016 and has moved up from the ECHL to the AHL. Last season, he went 20-15-5 with the Texas Stars and was a huge factor in the team making the playoffs. When Mike McKenna was called up to the NHL because of Ben Bishop's knee injury, Bow was the No. 1 goalie with Texas.
However, when the NHL season ended, McKenna returned and led the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup Finals. While that could have been seen as a disappointing turn for Bow, he said it was actually a great learning experience.
"(McKenna) he really took it to another level in the playoffs, and it was great to see that," Bow said. "I learned a lot from Mike. He has so much great experience and he has such a great outlook on the game that you could learn something new every day."

Bow said he has picked up more lessons watching Bishop and Khudobin in training camp, and said he also is enjoying the competition with Colton Point, who is playing his first season of professional hockey after a standout year at Colgate.
Because both Bishop and Khudobin have been great in preseason, there hasn't been much focus on the young goaltending duo in the AHL, but new Stars coach Jim Montgomery knows that can change very quickly in the NHL.
"It's really important, and that's why it's really important that if they want the opportunity for NHL games that they seize it," Montgomery said of the battle between Bow and Point for the No. 3 goalie spot.
"One of them has to emerge, and we can't wait to see who emerges," Montgomery said. "That's up to them to go earn it down in Austin."
Bow gets the first shot of staking a claim Friday, in part because he positioned himself well in training camp and in part because injuries happen in hockey.
"You definitely have to be ready for anything," Bow said. "That's part of being a goalie. I think one of the things that I've learned is you have to stay in the moment and not let anything affect you, good or bad. You can't think you're the best in the world after a good game, and you can't let a bad game bother you."
Even Friday's game. The truth is, no matter how he performs, the odds are Khudobin is fine for the season opener and Bow will head back to the Texas Stars where he and Point will battle to see who the No. 3 goalie is.
"You have to prove yourself every game," Bow said. "That's just part of the job."
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.