Managing Jake Oettinger's Workload after a grueling week

Jake Oettinger plays most of the team’s games as the Stars committed starting goaltender. However, optimizing his performance also depends on a good rest schedule. Having started 12 of the last 17 games with a more demanding workload the previous week, it’s fair to assume that Casey DeSmith should shoulder a slightly higher workload.

Granted, the October 17th game against Anaheim does not shine a favorable light on DeSmith. But bad games happen, and when Tyler Seguin’s shot leaves a mark on the crossbar just an inch away from going in, the game might not be in your favor.

The Stars should not rely on DeSmith but instead use him strategically to give Oettinger rest throughout the season. Like any player, he is at his best when he is healthy, which comes physically and mentally through recovery.  

When looking at isolated goaltending stats, the team's play can impact them. If you look at the average save percentages for each goaltender this season, they’re not so different, with DeSmith having a .914 and Oettinger having a .917. But this does not mean they’re comparable goaltenders in the same tier.

Think about it like calculating your GPA when you were in school. Oettinger had a couple of abysmal performances in the 70s, but there were high performances in the 90s. His overall better performance compensates for those bad games.

DeSmith has not played as many games, so we’re working with a smaller sample size. Out of the four he has started this season, the Stars are under a .900 save percentage (.852 vs Anaheim, .875 vs Florida, and .885 vs. Washington). On the other hand, he performed very well in Winnipeg when he was thrown in halfway through the game and didn’t let in a single shot. That really helps bring up his “grade” when you look at it in isolation.

However, it was announced this morning that Jake Oettinger would get the start against the San Jose Sharks. I'm sure after Casey DeSmith's last start that Pete DeBoer didn't want Macklin Celebrini to get his first career hat trick tonight. It looks like Oettinger might get the start against the Lightning as well. We will see how

That said, we want to minimize Oettinger's number of bad games and use his energy wisely. While doing that, DeSmith may not do well every game but if the goal is a greater number of good games and more longevity from Oettinger, it’s a worthwhile tradeoff temporarily.

Check out our latest Blackout Dallas Articles