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Do the Dallas Stars need more from Jake Oettinger? Analyzing the goalie's play in the Conference Final
Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger put on the performance of a lifetime in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. In seven games, Oettinger recorded a .954 save percentage and 1.81 goals against average. He finished the series off with a 64-save performance in the Game 7 loss to the Calgary Flames.
In these playoffs, expectations were high. But after a strong first round, things have not gone as expected for the 24-year-old netminder.
Oettinger was pulled after his shortest start and also recorded the worst statistical performance of his career in the second round against the Seattle Kraken. Now in the Western Conference final, things have once again been far from perfect.
In two games, Oettinger has gone 0-2 with a .883 save percentage. In the postseason, Oettinger ranks third from the bottom among all goalies in goals-saved above expected (-4.5). In contrast, Sergei Bobrovsky has been the best goaltender in the playoffs and has saved 19.5 goals above expectations.
Dallas is an excellent hockey team. They have the depth, the presence of superstars and they have the youth. To be successful, they do not need out-of-this-world goaltending. But they do need it to be good.
Unfortunately, so far, Oettinger has not been good, and he knows it.
"It's playoff hockey," Oettinger said after Game 7 vs Seattle. "I don't think I had the best series of my career, but it shows how good a team we have. It's ups and downs. I'm sure there are more ups and downs ahead of us and ahead of me. I just want to take what I learned in this series and use it to my advantage."
Jake Oettinger has come up one save short against Vegas so far
In the first two games of the Conference Final against Vegas, Jake Oettinger has still not been his best. His save percentage has been sub .900 and he has come up one save short of the ultimate goal in each game. On the other end, Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill has made that save, and that has been the difference in the series.
For Dallas to overcome this 2-0 deficit and have a shot at the Stanley Cup final, they need more from Jake Oettinger. No, they do not need him to be godly like he was against Calgary. But, they need him to be better and provide one or two more saves in the big moments.
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