Bishop or Khudobin? Stars mum on goalie decision ahead of Game 6

It's normally difficult to get information on goalies from coaches.
It's even tougher in the playoffs.
But then take those playoffs and put them in a bubble in Edmonton where nobody gets to see practices, well, then it's pretty much impossible.

Stars interim coach Rick Bowness, who surprised all by making Ben Bishop his starter in Game 5 Monday against the Colorado Avalanche, said on Tuesday that we will all have to wait to see who will be in net for Game 6. Bishop came in off of missing eight games with an injury and was chased after allowing four goals on 19 shots Monday. Anton Khudobin finished the game, even though he played Sunday.
So now the Stars have a choice between their normal No. 1 goalie in Bishop and the man who has helped carry them to where they are now, and Bowness said we'll just have to wait to see what the coaches decide.
"You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see who the starting goalie is," Bowness said on his Tuesday Zoom call.

That's expected. After all, Bishop was listed as "unfit to play" (the NHL's term for any player that is out with any kind of ailment) for eight straight games and then magically led his team out for Game 5. That's just how the playoffs work.
Bowness did clarify a lot of things on Tuesday, saying that the Stars had been watching Bishop closely, and that the 33-year-old veteran had looked good in practice. So when the team had the chance to rest Khudobin, who had been on a run of eight games in 16 days, they took it.
Of course, they also had to get the green light from Bishop, who has been battling an undisclosed injury and has not even dressed as a back-up.
"When your No. 1 goalie comes to you and says he wants to play and he's ready to play, that makes the decision a little easier," Bowness said.
Bishop is indeed the team's No. 1 goalie. He finished second in the voting for the Vezina Trophy last season and led the Stars to Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, falling to eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis in double overtime.
Bishop had a 2.22 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 13 playoff games last season.

So, the decision to play him does make some sense.
The fact the team played poorly didn't help in backing up that decision.
"The starting goalie is not the issue. The issue is how we played in front of the starting goalie, whether it was Dobby, the kid Jake (Oettinger) or Bish," Bowness said. "We just had to play better in front of him. The starting goalie is not the issue."
But … it is an intriguing storyline for Game 6. Did Bishop get to shake off enough of the rust in his limited time in net? Did Khudobin get enough rest and prove that he's the better option right now after stopping 20 of 22 shots in 40:37?
Bowness said stay tuned.
"We'll have discussions as a staff, we'll see who is the best fit for that game tomorrow night," Bowness said Tuesday. "It'll come down to that. Our preference is never to play a goalie back-to-back unless you absolutely have to. We have the day off today, and we'll see what it looks like tomorrow."

So both goalies are options, and that's a good thing. Dallas finished second in the NHL in goals against average (2.52) and save percentage (.920) during the regular season. That means they have two pretty good choices.
"I don't think it makes any difference who is in the net to be honest," said defenseman Andrej Sekera. "We have to play our A-game no matter who is in the net. Playoff hockey, you're going to have ups and downs in the postseason. Everybody goes through that. Fortunately, everything was going well for us, but there are going to be bumps in the road.
"Forget about it, regroup and go get the next one."
Colorado, meanwhile, is missing No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer and might be without No. 2 goalie Pavel Francouz. No. 3 goalie Michael Hutchinson took the win in Game 5 with the other Avalanche netminders "unfit to play." As for Game 6, Colorado coach Jared Bednar isn't saying.
That seems fitting during this odd playoff season.
"It is weird," Bowness said. "It's bubble hockey. We'll have discussions as a staff. We'll see who's best fit for that game tomorrow night. It'll come down to that."

Game 6: Stars vs. Avalanche (Dallas leads 3-2)

Wednesday, 7 p.m. CT
Where:Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV: NBCSN
Radio:The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
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, and listen to his podcast.