Stalock jumpstarts Wild -- and heart rates -- in win over Kings

ST. PAUL -- Desperately in need of a victory -- and a spark -- the Wild turned to goaltender Alex Stalock on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Making just his ninth start of the year, Stalock provided just that -- and perhaps a blood pressure spike or two -- in a 3-2 shootout victory at Xcel Energy Center.
Dueling against one of the best goalies of his generation in Jonathan Quick, Stalock made 31 saves, including a couple of biggies late in regulation, and all three in the shootout, to help the Wild snap a two-game skid.

"I've always had confidence in him even though he scares me half to death," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "But he did a great job for 57 minutes with the puck. The one in overtime sort of scared me a little bit."
Many of the 19,000-plus in attendance were left with a pounding sensation in their chests when Stalock left the net to go play a loose puck 24 seconds into the extra session.
After Quick stopped a 2-on-1 for the Wild, the Kings smacked a loose puck to clear the zone and it went all the way down the ice. Stalock left his crease to play it and came in contact with it halfway between the top of the left circle and his own blueline.

That's when things got interesting.
Instead of going for a line change, Los Angeles' Jeff Carter decided to pressure the mobile goaltender, who moved the puck to his backhand in order to use his body as a shield. He flipped the puck back toward the end wall, using it as a bumper to get it to defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
Only problem was, Stalock seemed to misjudge the angle. Instead of hitting the wall, he nearly put the puck into his own empty net.
Eventually, Spurgeon and Stalock maneuvered Carter behind the goal and the Wild was able to gain control and break out. Needless to say, there were plenty of oohs and aahs in the crowd. And perhaps a giant sigh of relief from the Wild bench.
Asked what he thought about Stalock's "exciting" play, Boudreau looked like he was about to have another panic attack just thinking about it.
"Yeah, exciting," Boudreau said with a wry smile. "That's a good word for it."

The overtime sequence may have overshadowed some of the other, more mundane moments in the game. Like the two giant saves he made on Tyler Toffoli in the final minute of regulation to keep the game tied. Or the standing toe save he made in the second period to close down a 2-on-1 chance.
"I felt strong all night. I was square to the puck. It shows. It's a back-to-back. Not a ton of Grade A's. This team loves to get the puck to the middle of the net and there weren't many chances in the middle of the ice," Stalock said. "We did a great job with that. It's not easy for a group of six that just played less than 24 hours ago."
Boudreau often plays Stalock in the second half of back-to-backs because of his mobility. His ability to chase down loose pucks in the defensive zone, and his seeming desire to do so, can help a blueline group that may have heavier legs.
The coach said he provided that in spades on Tuesday.

"He helped the defensemen immensely I thought moving the biscuit," Boudreau said.
His seemingly endless energy and his communication both during the play and between action can also give his teammates a lift.
And for a team playing on the second half of back-to-backs and for the eighth time in 15 days, it'll take any lift it can get.
Tuesday night, Stalock provided it.
"He was awesome tonight. He made a lot of big saves for us," said Wild forward JT Brown. "Honestly, he probably kept us in on some of the big chances. It was a close game and you need your goalie to stand on his head."
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