Jake Oettinger is the only reason the Stars haven't been eliminated from the playoffs. The way he's playing right now is making him look a lot better than Connor Hellebuyck. Oettinger has only been pulled once from his series, while Hellebuyck has been pulled three times. That's saying something after the Winnipeg Jets won the President's Trophy. There is a reason that Oettinger signed an eight-year extension to remain in Dallas, and he's shown it throughout this series.
Connor Hellebuyck has a save percentage of .815 and a 4.42 GAA in the playoffs this season. That's pretty bad after the regular season he put on to give the Jets the best record in the league. It's like we are seeing a different version of him right now. When I made my playoff bracket, I had the Blues getting eliminated in five games based on how the Jets were this season. My guess was wrong, and I learned it's an entirely different atmosphere for goaltenders in the postseason.
Jake Oettinger has a save percentage of .909 and a 2.99 GAA through six games in the playoffs. After looking at the stats, Oettinger is the better Central Division goaltender in the first round of the playoffs. While Jordan Binnington is doing well, between Oettinger and Hellebuyck, Jake has been the better goaltender. I didn't think Oettinger would be doing so well without Miro Heiskanen in the lineup. Losing him before the 4 Nations tournament was like a gut punch to the stomach.
Oettinger can continue to be the better Central Division goaltender tonight with a win over the Colorado Avalanche. However, he will have to do it without Heiskanen in the lineup. Going against Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar will be tough. However, Oettinger has done a good job limiting them from taking over games in this series. Maybe with a good performance tonight, Oettinger can be the starting goaltender for Team USA in the Winter Olympics next year.