As Stars work through their struggles, goaltending must improve

The Stars' problems, it seems, are holistic.
The Stars' answers, however, might have to be specific.
As Dallas stumbles to a 4-6-2 start, it's clear there are issues that are both analytical and abstract. Watching the play on the ice and listening to the comments after games, even the players aren't quite sure what's going on. It's bad passing one period, bad reads the next, and bad execution the next. It almost seems that every time they try to fix one area, it creates problems in another.

But if there's one department that can fix a lot of hockey ailments, it's goaltending.
And, honestly, the Stars could use some work there.
After Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Nashville, Dallas ranks 24th in goals-against average at 3.17 and 23rd in save percentage at .907.
Those numbers are concerning for a myriad of reasons, but most notably because that goes against what this team's identity has been for the past five seasons. When Ken Hitchcock took over in 2016, the Stars ranked sixth in GAA at 2.71. The next season, under Jim Montgomery, they were second at 2.44. The next year under both Montgomery and Rick Bowness, Dallas ranked second at 2.52. Then, even last season with all their problems, the Stars still ranked seventh in goals against at 2.60.
It's a big part of the plan.
Dallas is a low-scoring team, so it needs good goaltending to be competitive. It works very hard at keeping scoring chances against down, so the GAA must correspond. The fact that Dallas continues to be one of the worst offensive teams in the league truly is a concern, and it's something that's talked about pretty much every day. The fact it's below average in team defense and goaltending, well, that's an issue that at least seems fixable.
"I don't like being 23rd in goals against," Bowness said. "That's a team thing. You try to win 4-3 in this league every night, you're out of the playoffs. It's as simple as that. We have to tighten it up. We've got to be able to win 3-2, and it's a combination of everything - it's the penalty kill, it's the D, it's the goalies, it's the forwards, it's everything. We've got to tighten this thing up."
But getting better goaltending might be the easiest step in the process. Braden Holtby signed as a free agent in the summer and started on fire for the Stars. In his first four games, Holtby was 2-1-0 with a 1.70 GAA and a .950 save percentage. In his last four games, Holtby is 0-3-1 with a 3.28 and .876.
Holtby struggled in Vancouver last season and the Canucks bought him out. Because he needed to prove himself to the league again at age 32, the Stars were able to get him on a one-year deal for $2 million. So, yes, there is some risk involved in this project, but why the big difference between the first four games and the last four?
Holtby on Wednesday allowed three goals on 21 shots, including two that seemed unscreened and possibly stoppable. One was on a 3-on-1, but even Holtby said he believes he should've been better.
"There's a couple of goals I could've played different and then we're talking about a different conversation right now," Holtby said after a 4-2 loss. "That's one where, myself, I felt like I could be a bigger difference to help this team with this game."
Anton Khudobin's numbers are equally concerning. The 35-year-old struggled with COVID and a hand injury last season and posted a 12-11-7 record with a 2.54 GAA and .905 save percentage. That came after leading the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Khudobin lost weight in the offseason, recovered from the hand injury, and seemed to be poised for a great battle with Holtby to see who the No. 1 goalie would be.
So far in five games, he is 2-2-1 with a 3.54 GAA and .885 save percentage.
That's just not a good sign for what the Stars were hoping would be a competitive duo that would push each other to be better.
It's a big reason why the team is struggling so much right now.
"In this league, if you don't get above average goaltending, you don't win," Bowness said. "The numbers and the goaltending usually dictate where each team is going."
Ben Bishop is the wildcard in all of this. The big 34-year-old has been dealing with recovery from knee surgery and hasn't been a lineup regular in a year and a half. He practices with the team almost every day, but there seems no indication that he'll be ready to play any time soon. Bowness said Wednesday he had no update on Bishop.
Jake Oettinger is also an option. The 22-year-old last season went 11-8-7 with the Stars and posted a 2.36 GAA and .911 save percentage. He's the goalie of the future, but he's been so-so in the AHL this season with a 4-5-0 record, a 2.83 GAA and .907 save percentage. If the Stars wanted to use him, they'd likely have to trade one of their two veteran goalies to make room.
For now, it means Holtby and Khudobin simply have to be better. The team in front has plenty to worry about in hopes of making the job easier for the goalies, but a lot of times the solution is that the man in the mask stands on his head and steals a game or two.
It's been a formula for success in the past for this team.
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars on this homestand as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 7 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.