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Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Making Of The Stars’ New Goalie Platoon

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts

The Dallas Stars have built their system around good goaltending, so it’s a very good thing that they’re getting it. Braden Holtby and Jake Oettinger are generating spectacular numbers as the team’s de facto tandem. Can it continue?

Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika is fighting his way back from a mild stroke that has made reading difficult for him. But he’s already turning out Stars content again, and the team’s rather extraordinary “goaltending experiment” has drawn his focus. Heika discusses why an alternating schedule makes sense during the busy weeks ahead:

While we all wanted to jump right back to Oettinger on Tuesday, the alternation proved pretty successful. And Bowness said the plan is to do the same thing going forward, with Holtby and Oettinger splitting the next four games.

That makes sense. The Stars have three sets of back-to-back games in the next three weeks, so having two solid goalies is a great plan. It also makes sense to get both goalies playing. Holtby worked his way back to speed with a cameo against Colorado and a full game at Arizona. Then, when he was forced to see 19 third-period shots against Carolina, he was on top of his game.

This leaves Anton Khudobin as the odd man out, but Dobby seems to be making that work, too:

“Right now, those two guys are playing better than he had, and he’s just going to have to work hard,” Bowness said. “If he gets his named called again, be ready to go and take advantage of it. That’s all he can do, and he’s doing a good job of it.”…

“He’s been put in a tough situation, and we get that,” Bowness said. “All he can do is be a pro. That means you come to the rink every day with a great attitude and just go to work. Control what he can control, and that’s his attitude and his work habits. I give him full marks.”

There’s more at Mike’s place. [Dallas Stars]

And here’s a brief personal word from Heika as he continues to recover:

Stars Stuff

ICYMI, the Stars were passing a non-COVID illness around over the weekend, but it seems to be resolving itself quickly.

Here were the lines from practice yesterday.

In other news, the Stars are throwing a holiday party at “The World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze and Market” in Fair Park, and everyone’s invited.

Around The Leagues

#Murder Was The Case

  • It took a shootout to get there, but the Chicago Blackhawks handed the New York Islanders their 11th consecutive loss, 3-2. [Second City Hockey]
  • And a four-goal scoring surge in the second period lifted the Winnipeg Jets over the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-3. [Arctic Ice Hockey]/

The Vancouver Canucks are cleaning house, and GM Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green have gotten the broom, along with two of their assistants.

Benning got plenty of rope for a guy whose most significant accomplishment seems to have been trading away players who led the ’Nucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

Meanwhile, the hunt for a new head coach has led the team in a familiar direction.

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to have learned a lesson about how they handled the Brad Aldrich case, and it seems to have been “call Kyle Beach a liar.”

And if you thought the hockey community would support and protect victims of alleged abuse, well, Brad Hammett might advise you to think again.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars traded games with the Laval Rocket late last week, taking an overtime loss on Friday night.

But there was some good news (and great highlights).

Finally

Tyler Seguin will always be the last man off the ice, so let’s just get this over with.

Talking Points