Dallas Stars Goaltending Situation Becoming Lopsided

 The Dallas Stars have struggled to stay afloat throughout the past few weeks, and one of their main problems is goaltending. But one goaltender is slowly outperforming the other.

NHL goaltenders are sometimes labeled as “rare and majestic creatures.” Their abilities are second-to-none and seem uncanny to a certain point.

These abilities allow them to stand out amongst the rest of the NHL, and as a result they are known for dealing with some of the issues that come along with goaltending. Mainly, they are the ones who receive most of the blame whenever things go wrong. The first instinct of the fans is that the person who lets the goal go in should be the one to blame, which is obviously an unfair assessment.

This past summer, the Dallas Stars rounded out their team roster by picking up some valuable veteran talent. One of these big names was goaltender Antti Niemi. He was chosen to join Kari Lehtonen in the Stars crease as a two-headed goaltending system that totaled a rather substantial cost.

But who had ever heard of an NHL team using two veteran starting goaltenders on their roster with equal playing time for both? It was a new strategy, and all of the NHL eagerly watched to see if it would actually turn over efficient results.

As the year kicked off, it most certainly did. The Dallas Stars switched starters every few games, and each goalie had a strong performance once he rejoined the team on the ice for his next game. Lehtonen started the year off with a 9-1-0 record, and Niemi had a .911 save percentage through his first 12 games that included two shutouts.

But with every success story there comes an increasing opportunity to struggle. The Stars goaltending duo have hit that path multiple times this season, creating an ultimate roller coaster effect.

Back towards the beginning of the season in late November, Lehtonen’s play took a toll and he found his first rough patch of the year. Luckily, the Stars were able to rely on Niemi to guard the gate while Lehtonen refocused and found his inner goalie once again. Just a few games later, Niemi began to struggle and Lehtonen had to pick up the slack. This trend has gone back and forth a couple times so far this year.

The most recent trend, however, seems to be sticking around for a bit longer than expected. Since mid-February, Antti Niemi has hit a rather sharp decline. Over the past eight games he has played in, Niemi has a .824 average save percentage. This has forced Kari Lehtonen to step in, who most recently helped the Stars get back in the win column last night against the New Jersey Devils.

Over his last eight games, Lehtonen is averaging a .897 save percentage. Now, neither of these are great by any means, leading to a possible answer of why the Stars are 2-5-2 in their last nine games. But the offense has come in handy during some of these games, helping the Stars grind out a win.

The Dallas Stars may have played their most complete last night since the 3-2 overtime win against Nashville on February. In other words, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that beautiful of an effort on all sides of the puck.

Do the Dallas Stars officially have a new number one goaltender in Kari Lehtonen? Or is this just another one of those minor situations and the Stars will be reverting back to Niemi at any moment now?

More stars: Stars In Big Slump At Inconvenient Time

The most reassuring part is that GM Jim Nill planned ahead for this, knowing that with two veteran and aging goaltenders, it is likely that the signs of aging and rust will slowly begin to appear on and off throughout the year. So, he made sure that he had confident and reassuring backup.

The Stars are in for a thrilling week of play ahead. They will take off for Canada today and take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow afternoon. They follow that game up with a contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. After the short road trip, it’s back to the American Airlines Center for a five-game home stand that begins with the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on Friday and Saturday.

Next: Stars Sock It To Devils, 4-2

Can they keep this slight piece of momentum going for them? If the goaltenders can continue standing tall and playing strong, they have a good shot at it.