The Stars’ goalie Jake Oettinger was kept out by Glen Gulutzan on Wednesday night due to lower-body tightness, and his availability for Friday is currently in question.
After the 2-0 victory over Minnesota, Gulutzan described it as a preventative measure. Before making any decisions, The Stars will have him checked again on Thursday.
Friday’s preseason final in Minnesota may not include him. However, Gulutzan wouldn’t completely discount him just yet.
What level of worry should Dallas experience? Tightness isn’t a diagnosis, and the coach didn’t offer any more information than the lower-body label.
It’s obvious what the investment is. The Stars have no cause to push the goaltender’s cap hit of $8,250,000 in September.
Also sit him Friday. Like running on a tweaked hamstring the week before the marathon, a tight goalie performance in an exhibition game is similar.
Dallas continues to be flawless in preseason as Remi Poirier shuts out the Wild.
The Stars didn’t lose a step without him. Arno Tiefensee served as the backup goalie as Remi Poirier stopped every one of the 24 shots he faced.
Matthew Seminoff and Esa Lindell scored. In addition, Seminoff received five penalty minutes, which helped him win the game.
Kyle Capobianco established both scores in 16:42. On the back end, Miro Heiskanen spent 24:11.
Dallas is now 3-0 in the preseason. Jesper Wallstedt of Minnesota kept it close by stopping 22 of 24 shots.
In a losing cause, Hunter Haight was the most energetic Wild skater, taking five shots on goal.
The depth of the fold already appeared strong. Casey DeSmith made 30 saves on 31 shots against St. Louis in a 2-1 victory on Monday.
That offers Gulutzan options if the reports from Thursday are negative. However, no one in Dallas is interested in learning how durable those choices are.
Against St. Louis, the regular season starts at home on October 2. This is the date that really matters here.
A roster with $12,000,000 cap hits from both Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen is designed to win right away. Its starter needs to be healthy in April, not September.
Gulutzan will learn more from Thursday’s check. With no dress rehearsal, Oettinger’s next appearance in net may be on opening night if he sits on Friday.
