Dented mask the only blemish for Jake Oettinger this season

Jake Oettinger took a shot so hard on Saturday, it dented his mask.
The second-year goalie had to go over to the bench and retrieve a replacement, while he shook off the surprise.

Asked which shot it was that bent the metal in his cage, Oettinger chuckled. "Whatever one I head-butted," he said. "I don't know exactly which one, but whatever one I head-butted."
For the record, it was a Pavel Buchnevich shot in the third period of a 4-1 Stars win over the St. Louis Blues in which Oettinger made 35 saves. For the record, it was also one of many new experiences for the 22-year-old netminder this season.
Oettinger went with the Stars to the Edmonton playoff bubble in 2020 and got into two playoff games. Last season, with Ben Bishop sidelined by a knee injury, he played 29 games as a rookie, posting an 11-8-7 record with a 2.36 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
You'd think he'd be a grizzled veteran by now.
But the Stars signed veteran Braden Holtby in the offseason, and Oettinger was sent to the AHL, where he struggled at times with a 4-5-1 record, 2.62 GAA and .913 save percentage. It was a transition for the native of Lakeville, Minnesota, but he seemed to be adjusting.
Then, Holtby suffered a lower-body injury, Anton Khudobin was sick and Oettinger was back on the NHL ice last week. He took a 5-2 win over Detroit at American Airlines Center, came on in relief at the Xcel Energy (where he played in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament), and then was steely solid in a 4-1 win against St. Louis at AAC on Saturday.
The call-up was a bit of a surprise, but Oettinger handled it well. The game against the Red Wings was the first one he played in front of a full crowd in the NHL (the league allowed only limited crowds last season). The game at Minnesota was played in front of a large group of friends (and he really didn't even think he'd play). And the game against the Blues was a charged-up contest in which the Stars really needed a victory.
So, yeah, dealing with a dent in the mask was just an interesting sidenote.
"I just got a puck off that one bar, and it was dented really bad, so I just had to switch it out quick," he said.
It was just another lesson in what is becoming a very interesting education. The Blues game was important for so many reasons. One, this team's been bouncing from crisis to crisis all season and can seem like a wavy sea at times. Two, Oettinger has a chance to prove to the coaching staff that he's a real option to keep playing at the NHL level.
Oettinger is now 2-0-0 with a 1.43 GAA and .955 save percentage. That's huge for a squad that currently ranks 21st in GAA at 3.13 and 25th in save percentage at .906.
Asked how much Oettinger's performance has changed the goalie schedule of the coaching staff, Rick Bowness said "it's changed."
Bowness doesn't reveal his goaltending choice until the day of the game, but there's a really good chance that Oettinger earned a start against the high-flying Oilers and Connor McDavid on Tuesday. That's just another new experience for the man who seems to be taking things in stride right now.
"Whenever your team plays that good in front of you, they all made me feel like I belong here," Oettinger said after the Blues game. "It's giving me so much confidence that they believe in me."
Of course, he's doing a lot to earn that trust. He's had three chances so far since his call-up, and he's looked great in all three games. He continues to focus on each step by itself, but he also knows the impact of consistency. He said going to the AHL was both a challenge and a good thing.
"I was playing pretty much every game down there," he said. "To just get the opportunity to know you're playing all the time was really good for me. I think that's the biggest thing I need, just more and more games. Obviously, practice is practice, but where I think I'm going to get the most work done is by just keep getting games and getting more comfortable. It's a really hard position and a really tough league, so I just need to keep driving."
Holtby was back on the ice Monday at practice and is getting closer. Khudobin also is an option. However, the team sits 7-7-2 and needs all the points it can get. If Oettinger is the one getting points, he could be in the NHL for a while longer.
And with games coming up against the Oilers, Avalanche, Coyotes and Hurricanes, a few strong performances could really change what 2021-22 looks like for Oettinger.
"He's a young goalie and is going to have some ups and downs and that goes with it," Bowness said. "But the important thing is you see the high end."
Right now, that's all that Oettinger's showing.
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars continue their homestand this Tuesday on Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 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.