Lackluster goaltending continues to hinder Stars
It's been a rough year for Dallas Stars goaltending.
Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen man the crease for the Stars, splitting games consistently as neither have been able to win the starting job through 33 contests.
| Player | Starts | Record | GAA | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehtonen | 18 | 6-10-3 | 2.92 | 0.894 |
| Niemi | 15 | 7-4-3 | 2.85 | 0.913 |
But it's not just this season that netminding has been the issue in Dallas, all of 2016 was troublesome.
36 goalies faced at least 1,000 shots in the 2016 calendar year.
— Rob Vollman (@robvollmanNHL) December 19, 2016
Of them, DAL's Niemi (.897) and Lehtonen (.899) only ones under .905 SV%
It's especially alarming when you consider that Niemi and Lehtonen are the highest-paid goalie tandem in the NHL, with $4.5M and $5.9M cap hits, respectively.
Last season, the Stars won a talented Central Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. But, predictably, their season ended in a 6-1 blowout upon Lehtonen allowing three goals on eight shots.
Dallas ranks toward the middle of the pack in shots allowed per game (30.2), yet are 26th in the NHL in averaging 3.06 goals against.
The Stars have a talented roster featuring the likes of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but the offense has regressed from last season. They're currently two points out of a wild-card spot in the West, and unless Niemi and Lehtonen can erase a horrendous 2016 come the New Year, Dallas will have a big hole to climb out of.