Stanley Cup Playoffs: Top 3 goalies who got our attention this postseason

Anton Khudobin

It is a difficult thing to say that the Dallas Stars were underdogs this postseason after finishing fourth in the Western Conference. However, to me, that is exactly what they were.

When teams returned to play, superstar netminder Ben Bishop would not be ready for the playoff run as he was labeled “unfit to play”. That meant a Dallas Stars team that struggled to score during the regular season now lost their netminder who was saving 13.28 more goals than the average goaltender in the league. And in the playoffs, that could be the make or break in a series.

But during the season, backup Anton Khudobin was actually the better netminder, having a career year In 30 games played, the Russian-netminder posted a league-best .930 SV% and a 2.22 GAA (both career-bests). He was even saving 17.75 more goals than the average netminder, beating out his partner.

So it was evident that Khudobin being in net should not be an issue for this team.

But over his 11-year career, Khudobin had never started a game in the postseason, so questions loomed about his ability to get the job done on the biggest stage.

After the long trek that was the postseason, Khudobin helped Dallas to the cup finals, losing to the Lightning in six games.

Here is the breakdown of his play by series:

Opp         Record    Save %   GAA       SV       SA

Vs. CGY    (3-2)       .918       2.60      146     159

Vs. COL    (4-2)       .899       3.29      205     228

Vs. VGK    (4-1)       .950      1.60       153     161

Vs. TBL     (2-4)       .910      3.00       183     201

Against the toughest offensive teams in Colorado and Tampa Bay, his numbers took a hit. But thinking back to those series, Colorado and Tampa Bay play very similar games, using defensive skill to create offense and dominate their opponent’s zone. But just like all the goaltenders on this list, Khudobin had to battle to keep his teams in games and ultimately help them win them more often than not. Against the Lightning, his team really struggled to protect the front of the net.

Khudobin seemed overwhelmed and was caught off his angles throughout the series, leading to pucks going passed him that were being stopped earlier in the postseason.

It could have been the workload, the back to backs, the pressure of trying to get his team a Stanley Cup for the first time since 1999.

But despite not achieving that goal, Khudobin proved something. Just because you are a career backup does not mean your skillsets can only go so high. The sky is truly the limit when given the opportunity. On so many occasions, Khudobin bailed his team out, and when it mattered the most his team was unable to do the same.

Due to his play, he has emerged as another goaltender many teams would like on their team. The UFA has been linked to re-signing with the Stars, and with good reason. Dallas knows his importance to the team and to the city. He helped create memories for the organization that will last a lifetime during one of the most chaotic seasons of all-time.