Jake Oettinger's tall task: Being the Dallas Stars' future in goal

JAKE OETTINGER FELT INVINCIBLE.

The Dallas Stars were successful a Game 7 overtime against the Calgary Flames successful the archetypal circular of past season's playoffs. They were determination due to the fact that of Oettinger, the second-year goaltender who had stopped 208 of the 218 shots helium had faced successful the erstwhile six games.

The finale against the Flames was the thrilling capper connected a superb series: stopping 64 of 66 shots connected extremity into the archetypal overtime to go the 2nd goalie to marque 60 oregon much saves successful a Game 7 since 1995, erstwhile the stat was archetypal tracked.

"You're truthful immersed successful what you're doing," Oettinger recalled. "You consciousness similar you're ne'er going to get scored on."

Johnny Gaudreau took the 67th changeable that Oettinger faced, hurling the puck astatine the nett from an unusual space to the goalie's right. It flew implicit Oettinger's enarthrosis and down him astatine 15:09 of overtime. Horns blared. Red lights flashed. The Calgary seat emptied. The Stars had been eliminated.

Oettinger couldn't bring himself to ticker his historical effort again during the offseason, fixed the outcome. "I've seen the highlights but I haven't watched the afloat happening yet," helium said. "If we would person won that game? Yeah, I would person watched it."

Looking backmost astatine the playoffs, Dallas wide manager Jim Nill inactive chuckles astatine the irony: What immoderate considered to beryllium the Stars' biggest playoff liability turned into their top asset.

"When we started the series, astir apt 1 of the biggest question marks we had was that we had a young goalie getting his archetypal Stanley Cup playoff action," Nill said. "This résumé isn't precise long. How is helium going to grip it? Now we look backmost connected it, and I've ne'er seen a young antheral bask the infinitesimal arsenic overmuch arsenic helium did. He cherished being successful the net."

Oettinger remained successful the nett aft Gaudreau's overtime goal. Stars skipper Jamie Benn skated implicit to his goalie, inactive connected 1 knee, to console him.

"If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't adjacent person been adjacent to overtime oregon having a accidental to win," Benn said. "He's a phenomenal young goalie. He's going to beryllium large for this enactment for a agelong time."

The aboriginal is present for Oettinger and Dallas. With a caller three-year declaration successful hand, the 23-year-old goalie entered the 2022-23 play astatine the apical of the Stars' extent illustration for the archetypal time.

"He's our No. 1 goalie," Nill said. "He's grabbed that opportunity. It's not similar you travel into a play and say, 'we're conscionable going to springiness it to you.' No, he's earned it."

NILL FIRST SAW Oettinger with the U.S. nationalist improvement squad successful Detroit.

"We've known him since helium was 16," Nill said. "When you're playing for the U.S. successful these tournaments, you're a beauteous bully player. So we got to cognize him and that's wherefore we moved a small higher to prime him."

Dallas had the 3rd wide prime successful the 2017 NHL draft, selecting Miro Heiskanen. But erstwhile Nill saw Oettinger was inactive connected the committee precocious successful the archetypal circular -- nary goalies had been drafted yet -- helium sent the 29th wide prime (from Anaheim) and a third-rounder to Chicago for the 26th wide prime and selected Oettinger.

They respected his character. They loved his size. Oettinger is listed astatine 6-foot-5, and thing astir that is generous.

"It's weird. Some guys look gangly and they're lanky. You get adjacent to him, and he's gangly and has size," Nill said.

After Oettinger and Ben Bishop, who is listed astatine 6-foot-7, bash the Stars officially person a "type" erstwhile it comes to their goaltending?

Nill laughed. "We've been fortunate that way," helium said. "But that's besides wherefore Bishop has been a large mentor for him."

Oettinger joined the Stars successful 2019 aft 3 seasons with Boston University. His improvement way had its twists and turns.

He played 38 games with the AHL Texas Stars successful 2019-20 earlier the COVID pandemic shuttered sports. His NHL debut was successful the Western Conference "bubble" playoffs. Oettinger was the Stars' third-string security goaltender. Then Bishop was injured and Oettinger recovered himself backing up Anton Khudobin. His NHL debut came successful 17 minutes of alleviation against the Vegas Golden Knights successful the Western Conference finals. He besides saw 19 minutes of enactment successful Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In total, Oettinger faced 8 shots and made 8 saves.

Bishop's presumption for the 2020-21 play impacted Oettinger. The Stars hoped the erstwhile Vezina Trophy victor could marque a comeback, but Bishop missed the full season. Oettinger ended up playing 29 games successful backmost of Khudobin, going 11-8-7 with a .911 prevention percentage. Analytically, helium was superior to Khudobin, who played beneath replacement level. Oettinger saved 2.97 goals supra average.

But astatine the commencement of the 2021-22 season, Oettinger was shocked to find himself backmost successful the AHL, arsenic the Stars went with escaped cause signing Braden Holtby and Khudobin arsenic their netminders. (Bishop, who hadn't seen the crystal since August 2020, officially retired successful December 2021.)

Nill said it was a telephone they made based connected trying to get Oettinger much reps. "We knew we had to get him down successful the minors. He wasn't blessed astir it. But if helium looks back, it was astir apt the champion happening for him," the GM said.

Oettinger returned to the NHL nine connected Nov. 16, 2021. He gradually took implicit the crease, starting 46 games, winning 30 of them and posting a .914 prevention percentage. He closed retired the play winning 5 of 7 starts earlier his masterful bid against the Flames.

The Calgary bid changed things for Oettinger, who could consciousness his banal rising considerably with peers astir the NHL aft that performance.

"I could consciousness it a small bit," helium said. "Everyone's watching the playoffs."

HOCKEY NICKNAMES AREN'T precisely complex, truthful it should travel arsenic nary astonishment that Oettinger's is "Otter." What is surprising: That the goalie has his ain mascot.

"My feline does a small otter cartoon guy," Oettinger said. "Last twelvemonth I threw a small cowboy chapeau connected him."

Goalie disguise decorator David Gunnarsson created an animated otter that has adorned respective of Oettinger's masks.

"I was like, this could beryllium similar my thing," Oettinger said.

Last season, it was a cowboy otter. This season, it's a golfing otter, implicit with gloves and a club.

The otter meme goes beyond the disguise for Oettinger. Cartoon otters person appeared connected T-shirts. Otters person go a mode for fans to observe him connected societal media. "When I person a bully game, radical tweet retired a GIF with otters," helium said.

I did a happening 🙂 #TexasHockey #jakeoettinger #otter @DallasStars pic.twitter.com/oUDb67Ozm4

How galore otters Oettinger receives this play volition beryllium connected however helium handles being the No. 1 guy. Stopping 60-plus pucks successful a azygous crippled takes a antithetic intelligence fortitude than backstopping a squad to the postseason successful 60-plus games. One made him consciousness invincible. The different makes him consciousness indispensable.

"I deliberation for me, it's going to beryllium a batch of the intelligence broadside this season," helium said. "I've ne'er travel successful arsenic a No. 1. I'm conscionable going to person to woody with ... not 'pressure,' but much responsibility, obviously."

The Stars are a squad with a seasoned halfway -- Benn, Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski -- augmented by a postulation of young stars nether 24, similar Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and Oettinger. The goalie believes it's connected him to make the instauration for that roster to thrive.

"It's going to beryllium up to maine to get this squad backmost into the playoffs," helium said. "It's a batch of responsibility. But it's what I signed up for."

Oettinger signed thing other during the offseason: a three-year declaration worthy $4 cardinal against the wage headdress annually.

Nill said the Calgary bid didn't needfully complicate those negotiations. For each the assurance helium has successful Oettinger, this was inactive a 23-year-old goalie with 2 seasons and 77 games to his credit.

"He did a bully occupation for america during the year, but the assemblage of enactment was a abbreviated clip frame," Nill said.

Their declaration talks stretched done the precocious summer. Could Dallas spell higher than the $3.979 cardinal AAV that the Flyers gave Carter Hart successful August 2021 aft 101 NHL games?

On Sept. 1, the Stars landed connected the $4 cardinal AAV woody with Oettinger, who is simply a restricted escaped cause erstwhile it expires successful 2025.

"We got thing done. Maybe a batch for a subordinate that played that fig of games. But helium deserved it," Nill said. "He's already earned it based connected who helium is and knowing however his teammates privation to play for him -- that tells you something.

"He's a subordinate with high-end character. And he's our future, going forward."