Stars Goalie Entering Elite Form - Again

The starting goalie for the Dallas Stars is entering elite form again before the postseason.

Mar 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) faces the Philadelphia Flyers attack during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was fantastic in the team's recent victory over the Minnesota Wild. He stopped all 32 shots on goal against him to earn his 33rd victory and second shutout of the season. The win improved his season record to 33-15-3 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.

That level of performance from the Stars goalie has come to be a regular expectation. The 26-year-old has recorded 30 wins or more in every full NHL season he's played and he's once again reaching his most elite form just ahead of the postseason. The team's head coach, Peter DeBoer, discussed after the game how critical Oettinger's success is to their team.

"You can tell when (Oettinger)’s feeling it and dialed in like that. He’s got that swagger,” he said. “You can just tell. They looked like they could shoot all night and he wasn’t going to let anything in. When he’s got that feel, that’s obviously a really good feeling on our bench."

The Stars are hoping that Oettinger keeps this level of play up for the rest of the regular season and into the postseason. Last year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was excellent. Over 19 games, he posted a 2.24 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. Two years prior, his first postseason experience, he posted a 1.81 GAA and .954 save percentage over seven starts.

With 12 games remaining in the regular season, it's fine tuning time. That starts with the play of their net minder. Oettinger is finding his game, and it's coming at the perfect time. He has himself in line to be a potential finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top net minder and to lead the Stars on a long playoff run in a few short weeks.

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