Jhonas Enroth has saved something like 22 straight shots in the shootout. That is amazing.
The Stars still do not have a starting win from a backup goaltender this year. That is less amazing.
Goaltending has been a thing for the Stars this year, and not in the best way. The Stars won, which is great, but even Jhonas Enroth knows that last night was a bit of a mixed bag:
“I think it is what you make it,” Enroth said of coming on in relief. “If you tell yourself it is going to be tough, it will be tough. If you tell yourself it will be fine, it will be fine. I told myself I was going to be fine. I knew I prepared well enough and I knew if I stayed positive, I would be fine.”
Enroth is now 6-0 on the season in shootouts and 14-25-2 overall.
“It’s a little luck,” he said. “It’s one of those things where when you get in a good groove, you keep on going. I definitely feel good in shootouts.”
Lehtonen can’t say the same. He’s been inconsistent all season and he followed a great overtime win against the Islanders with a very shaky outing against the Panthers.
The Stars had been keeping shots against down, but there were a couple of fluky chances, and Lehtonen couldn’t stop any of them. Brandon Pirri whipped in a shot on a rush when the Stars were late on a line change. The puck slipped under Lehtonen’s pads. Dmitry Kulikov scored on a breakaway coming out of the penalty box. The puck went off Lehtonen’s glove. And Jonathan Huberdeau fired a shot from the left wing that simply slipped through Lehtonen’s pads to give Florida a 3-2 lead.
“The first one and third one cannot go in,” he said. “I don’t know why today they went in. I think we’re playing very well. We didn’t give them anything, and then it got a little tougher.”
[snip]
“I’m done thinking about what just happened,” Lehtonen said. “I just have to get rest and have a good practice tomorrow. I think I’m thinking too much sometimes, and now I’m going to try not to.”
[DMN]
Kari Lehtonen will have a fresh crack at things next season, we hope. For now, the best thing to do might just be to sit back and enjoy sweet goaltending when you get a chance to enjoy it. We’re still a ways below our quota for the season, you know.
* * * * *
This is cool:
With his assist tonight, John Klingberg now leads all rookie defensemen in scoring with 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists).
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 6, 2015
Tyler Seguin had a particularly fun segment with Bob and Dan yesterday. Do you want to know what Star drives a Ferrari 599 and which one drove a Prius? [BaD Radio]
Check out the Casino Night “mic’d up” video! Ralph Strangis, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are here to give you a Demers-less perspective on the classy night. [Facebook]
Speaking of Seguin, this is also pretty cool:
“@SeguinProblems: What are the chances @tseguinofficial takes @muckbro16 & @Sceviour7 out to dinner? Huge win.” Pretty high chance
— Tyler Seguin (@tseguinofficial) March 6, 2015
The Coyotes harnessed the magic power of their ancient Picasso jerseys and Mike Smith’s Alice Cooper mask and won in the shootout last night. [NHL]
David Schlemko scored a gorgeous goal last night in the shootout. I am not crazy. WATCH THIS VIDEO THE UNIVERSE IS MELTING GAHHHHH [THN]
Kris Russell blocked an NHL record 15 shots last night. [Reddit]
Andrew Hammond has the best nickname in hockey. It’s “Hamburglar.” [Ottawa Sun]
Richard Panik was fined for embellishment. [CBS Sports]
Would you like to be the Florida Panthers’ new backup goalie? You totally can be. Seriously, there is an open competition for anyone 18 or older. This is not a joke. [SB Nation]
Derek wonders who the real cup-bound teams are now that everyone has loaded up after the deadline. [The Hockey Writers]
Patrick Wiercioch, the Jordie Benn of the the Ottawa Senators. Here’s a fascinating article from Travis Yost about analytics and eyeballs. Highly recommend this one. [TSN]
Who would make the best emergency goaltender besides Patrick Roy? [Puck Daddy]
What positions in hockey equate to an instrument in a rock band? All of them! Fun stuff here. [The Hockey Writers]
Finally, the Blackhawks are still making us love them through touching videos like these: