Heika’s Take: Stars fall just short in “winnable” road game vs. Capitals

Goaltending is the great equalizer in the NHL, and the Stars have been a great case study in that fact.

Since moving to Texas in 1993, Dallas ranks fourth in goals against average and third in wins. It’s no coincidence.

So while the lads in Victory Green took their first loss of the season, 3-2, to Washington on Thursday, the day had a happier undercurrent with Jake Oettinger signing an eight-year contract extension that averages $8.25 million a year. The contract will start next season and gives the Stars a legitimate No. 1 goalie for years to come.

“He’s a big part of our team, one of our younger guys. It’s nice to know he’s 25 years old and he’s around for the next eight years. It kind of solidifies that position,” Stars GM Jim Nill said. “He loves it in Dallas, drafted by Dallas, developed by us. Both parties wanted to get a deal done.”

Oettinger could have become a restricted free agent next summer, but when Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman and Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark each signed extensions for $8.25 million, it set the market.

"I'm happy that mine didn't go down the way that Sway's did,” Oettinger said of a protracted battle in Boston that went deep into the preseason. “It's everything you could ever want as a player: the organization making you a priority, and wanting to get something done early is incredible. Now I can just focus on my play and not have that in the back of my mind."

Stars coach Pete DeBoer said he was thrilled to have the deal done. While he said he didn’t think Oettinger would have been distracted, he added that taking away a complication is a positive.

“I think we all know the importance of solid goaltending, and he’s given us that,” DeBoer said. “There’s just a sense of calm, and the other thing you get from him is leadership. He’s not one of those goalies who does his own thing and shows up to play. He’s a big part of our group. He’s got great leadership qualities and every year he’s growing and adding [to them].”

The Stars also appear to have found a quality backup goalie in Casey DeSmith, who is under contract for the next three seasons. DeSmith logged a 25-save shutout in his first game with the Stars and then stopped 24 shots on Thursday.

“You’re not going to go 82-0, but Casey played well and gave us a chance to win in the third period down one on the road,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said of Dallas falling to 4-1-0. “It was definitely there to take, so we’ve got to wipe it off. It’s a good reminder.”

The Stars power play went 0-for-4 and is now 1-for-17 on the season. DeBoer said Dallas really could have used a goal when it had the man advantage twice in the third period.

“We’re five games in now,” DeBoer said. “We had some guys miss some extended periods in training camp. That’s an excuse for a couple of games for your power play not clicking, but it’s time to execute.”

On the other side of special teams, the penalty kill went 5-for-5 and scored a shorthanded goal. Rookie Oskar Bäck tallied his first NHL assist and new winger Colin Blackwell made a patient play to pot the puck on a breakaway.

“A big goal for us,” DeBoer said. “I’d like to get some more 5-on-5 offense from some other guys. We’ve got to stick a few more pucks in the net and 5-on-4 offense. But there was some good and bad. We’re five games in and I think the bottom line is it was a winnable game. We didn’t execute at the right moments.”

The Stars will play host to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday in a 2024 Western Conference Final rematch. Oettinger is expected to be in net against the team that eliminated Dallas from the playoffs. And while contract extension has no impact on this season, there is still a good feeling that comes from the paperwork.

"I’m just so excited and happy to know where I'm going to be for the foreseeable future,” Oettinger said. “I couldn't be more honored to have them believe in me like that, and the way Jim's treated me since I became a Dallas Star has been first class and can't say enough great things about the way everything went down. Just really happy to be here."

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeHeika.