The Dallas Stars are off to a scorching start to the 2023 NHL season. Head coach Pete DeBoer was quick to credit goaltender Jake Oettinger during his appearance on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM) Wednesday.
Oettinger stopped 38 shots in the Stars’ 4-1 win over the Penguins Tuesday night. He’s been both a catalyst and an anchor for Dallas. The Stars fell short in the Western Conference finals last season and DeBoer didn’t want to see a sluggish opening to the current season.
“I think a lot of times when you when you have a deep playoff run, like we did last year going to the conference finals you’re always worried about how you’re going to come out of the gate the next year,” DeBoer said. “And our guys had a great camp that came in great shape and our goaltender is healthy. And Jake Oettinger has been our best player so far to date, which is great to see. We’ve kind of ridden his back through the first couple of weeks of the season here.”
DeBoer said Oettinger didn’t skate much during the offseason, but a surgery and downtime may have been good for the 24-year-old. Stars GM Jim Nill said on June 8 that defenseman Jani Hakanpää was the only Stars player who required offseason surgery, but there were several players banged up during the postseason run.
Oettinger was included in that assessment. He played 81 games last season between the regular season and postseason, more than any other NHL goalie.
His workhorse mentality was reflected in DeBoer’s Wednesday radio appearance.
“He dealt with a pretty significant injury last year in the playoffs and had some surgery in the offseason and didn’t skate a lot. Which isn’t like him, he’s a workaholic,” DeBoer said. “So I think he was a little worried how rusty he was going to be.
“And actually, I think it was probably a blessing in disguise because he got recharged and rested. He played a lot of hockey last year. And he’s come out and looked in playoff-type form early for us here. And he’s given us a chance to weather the storm and kind of get our game in order. These points are critical because you don’t want to be simile a month or two.”
DeBoer didn’t have further details about the injury or the surgery. But Oettinger has emerged as fresh and dominant this season, with a .952 save percentage (sixth-best in NHL).
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