Dallas Stars: Four Keys To Qualifying For 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs

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CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 24: Goalies Ben Bishop #30 and Anton Khudobin #35 of the Dallas Stars celebrate after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 at the United Center on February 24, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Continue Using The Goalie Duo To Its Fullest Potential

For all of the inconsistent bumps that the Dallas Stars have hit throughout their 2018-19 campaign, there’s been one consistent piece keeping the team together: the goaltending.

Both Ben Bishop (19-14-2 in 36 GP) and Anton Khudobin (13-13-3 in 31 GP) have been electric in the crease for the Stars this season, giving the team in front of them a chance to win on a nightly basis. When Bishop starts, he does everything he can to help Dallas succeed. When Khudobin starts (whether in his normal role or filling in as the starter while Bishop recovers from an injury), he almost always finds a way to steal the show in the back end.

As a result, the Stars’ goaltending is as elite as it has been in years, maybe even decades. When looking at the statistics of NHL goaltenders that have played in at least 30 games this season, Bishop owns both the fourth-best save percentage (.925) and fourth-best goals against average (2.29). Khudobin is close behind with the seventh-best save percentage (.922) and eleventh-best goals against average (2.59).

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When a team has two goaltenders sharing the load and enjoying substantial success, they boast one of the key elements to a long playoff run that many teams do not possess. But before the Dallas Stars see how dangerous their dynamic duo can be in the crease, they must first qualify for the postseason.

And in order for that to happen, the goaltending will have to be managed properly. Head coach Jim Montgomery has done a good job with balancing the playing time of the duo and picking the right matchups for each one so far this season.

In these final 18 games, he simply has to keep it up. During this time in the regular season, most NHL coaches tend to lean on one goalie in particular and try to get him rolling on a hot streak in time for the playoffs. But with two starting-caliber goaltenders in his back pocket, Monty has an opportunity to strike a good balance.

If he can avoid overworking either goaltender and goaltending coach Jeff Reese can keep both on top of their games and in a healthy state, the Dallas Stars should be able to use their crease as a strong asset in their final push.

On top of that, Bishop and Khudobin simply just have to keep doing what they have been doing through the first 64 games. Goaltending is a critical key to any team’s run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but is just as critical when it comes to the race to the playoffs. It will be interesting to see just how big of an impact no. 30 and no. 35 play for the Stars in the final 18 games.

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