Dallas Stars’ Upcoming Games Will Rely On Goaltending

The Dallas Stars have paved an inconsistent path for themselves, but are beginning to find some stability. Goaltending is the last obstacle they must overcome.

With the unexpected turn this season has taken by the way of injuries and bad luck, the Dallas Stars have found themselves all too often staring down the face of uncertain odds when they step onto the ice.

Things have become a bit flip-flopped for them. Where they used to excel on the road and do poorly at home, the Stars now need to work on road victories to stabilize their playoff chances. Where scoring was a commodity taken for granted, it’s one now in great demand and just recently finding its way back into abundance.

However, there have been positive changes as well. The Dallas Stars have found a much more reliable and focused defensive end, with players both physical and aggressive, and offensively cunning. Although the Stars’ offense has suffered at the constantly fractured state of its forward roster, their depth has consequently taken center stage and been able to propel them through moments of uncertainty.

While none of these components have reached perfection, there is still one aspect that seems to bring trouble when the Stars least expect- or need- it. That’s right, friends. The scary monster called goaltending.

This is the second season that the Dallas Stars have utilized a tandem goaltending system. Both goalies are starters, and they operate on the same level. That is, of course, until they don’t.

In watching the Stars, I sometimes forget that it’s not the norm in the NHL to pull a goalie for poor performance. For an injury, perhaps, but not for allowing too many goals. Because goalies typically don’t do that.

This season, though, the Stars have switched between goaltenders during games almost solely for that reason. We go through short periods where we praise the current starter’s game and, to be fair, the goaltending performance during these periods can sometimes be nothing short of playoff quality. But then something happens.

And it is just that, something. Something mysterious and nebulous and unpredictable. A goalie who has started four, five, maybe even six games straight suddenly crumbles and turns from a brick wall into a leaky bucket. What on earth causes this sudden change?

It seems that, in an instant, a goaltender can lose his confidence and fail to reset himself mentally at the task before him. Stars fans are familiar with this idea, as it seemed to plague Kari Lehtonen pretty consistently before the implementation of the tandem system.

Then, when Lehtonen was joined by Antti Niemi, we speculated that it would be good competition between the two and that the fight for the starting position each night would keep each goalie on his A game.

It seemed to do so at first. But now, it is possible that the opposite has become true. Knowing that another quality starter is ready to take your place and bail you out could take a lot of the pressure-and maybe motivation- out of the task of mentally recovering from a goal against.

If not the tandem system, then something needs to shift within the Stars’ goaltending culture. When the Dallas Stars’ goaltenders can remain confident and poised enough to bounce back from mistakes and let one goal against be one goal against instead of letting it bleed into two, three, four, or more, I’d say the system is right again.

Next: Dallas Stars Cannot Become Discouraged By Undeserved Loss

What do you think? Will the Stars be looking to make goaltending moves in the offseason to affect a change here? Do you think the Stars even consider goaltending among one of their major problems at this point in the season? And what do you believe to be the chief culprit? Let us know in the comments!