Heika's Take: Wedgewood praised for good character and adaptability

ST. LOUIS, Missouri- When asked about the toils and tribulations of being a backup goalie, Scott Wedgewood often offers a shrug and says, "That's my job."
It's true. The veteran is often called upon in tough situations like Saturday in Denver when he had to step in off a week of rest and play at the home of the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was a tough assignment. But Monday night have been even harder.

Starting goalie Jake Oettinger was sick, and Wedgewood was called in as a last-minute replacement against a St. Louis team who was hungry to beat the Stars and 8-2-0 in its last 10 games.
Wedgewood was more than up to the task. The 30-year-old made 23 saves and led Dallas to a big 4-1 win at Enterprise Arena.
"Full credit," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "He didn't know he was starting until essentially game time. Last minute illness came over Otter and he just couldn't go. That takes a lot of character to just turn yourself on like that, and then give us a game like he did in a critical moment."
The Stars needed a big win. They were 1-1-2 in their previous four games and were meeting a Blues team that wanted to make up ground on the Central Division leaders. Instead, Dallas moves to 13-6-4 and eight points ahead of St. Louis in the standings. This team now has a two-day break before playing the next five games at home. It was a clutch performance.
Wedgewood wasn't alone in his effort. Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist. Jamie Benn had two assists, and Jason Robertson pushed his point streak to 16 games - second longest in franchise history. What's more, Joel Hanley subbed in and offered strong defensive play, and the Stars showed some moxie in a big game.
"We did some good things tonight to address some issues we had," Wedgewood said. "The guys played well, created some O-zone chance, and I thought we did great in our own end. It was a huge game, divisional points, especially at the end of a three-day trip. We get a chance to rest up and be ready for Thursday."

Wedgewood was a big part of that. The Blues came out strong and pushed the pace early. Wedgewood had to be good because he essentially had no backup goalie. Oettinger was listed as the reserve, but he stayed in the dressing room for the entire game. With St. Louis showing some hunger and impatience, Wedgewood held the fort until Johnston could pot the first goal of the game at the 3:51 mark of the second period.
"They probably had the better chances in the first," DeBoer said of the Blues attack. "I thought that's when they pushed as hard as at any point in the game, and he really gave us a chance to get going as the game went on. So, I knew he was good when he was good early."
Wedgewood said playing Saturday was a big help. He had been out since suffering a back injury on Nov. 17, so getting in against Colorado knocked a lot of the rust off. When it was clear Oettinger couldn't play, Wedgewood said he treated it like a normal game day. He had his nap, he had his pregame meal, and he was ready to go.
"It was a late call, but it was nice getting two in a row, get some rhythm and build off the last one," Wedgewood said. "I thought I actually played a pretty good game with the amount of chances in Colorado. Didn't get the win there, but I thought I was pretty on point tonight and felt good throughout it."
Once the goaltending established a solid backbone, the Stars took over the game. Johnston scored his goal of a pass from Benn, and then the 19-year-old made a sweet dish of his own, finding Dellandrea crashing the net in transition eight minutes into the third period. This gave the Stars a 2-0 lead and looked like it would be enough.
"I thought the young guys were excellent tonight," DeBoer said. "That was maybe Johnny's best game. Ty Dellandrea has been good all year and was real good again tonight. And it's good that they're not popping in a game that doesn't mean anything. This was an important game; it was a playoff-type game tonight for both teams. And to have young guys have that big of an impact, it says a lot about them."

Hanley also was impressive, as the veteran came off a few healthy scratches and helped secure the blueline. DeBoer made Nils Lundkvist a healthy scratch against the Blues, saying the 22-year-old could use the break, and Hanley more than adequately filled in.
"Hanner did a great job," DeBoer said of Hanley playing 14:26 and getting in the first fight of his NHL career. "Got in a scrap, defended hard, really gave us some bite back there. We had been a little leaky around our net, and he's a guy who really takes pride in defending around that area. He really added a lot to our group tonight."
That was important when the Blues cut Dallas' lead to 2-1 with six minutes left in the third period. The Stars needed a little bit of a cushion, and Robertson delivered with his 19th goal of the season. The First Star of the Week in the NHL for tallying eight points in the previous four games, Robertson scored unassisted in transition with another one of his dynamic shots. That made it 3-1 and opened the door for Miro Heiskanen to add an empty-net goal. The finale was a little deceptive, but that's what happens when you get a lead, and your goalie is good.
Still, Dallas has to keep pushing to maintain a cushion in the standings and keep positive momentum in the dressing room.
"I still think there's room for improvement," Dellandrea said. "Tonight was a good game for us to bounce back from that loss in Colorado. I think we did all of the things we wanted to do and really executed well. I think things are coming together well. Still lots to improve on, but that was a big one for us."

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 Twitter @MikeHeika.