PITTSBURGH — Jake Oettinger went 188:52 without allowing a goal before Connor Dewar beat him 1:57 into the third period Saturday. The streak was the longest of Oettinger’s NHL career, and the Dallas Stars went on to lose 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout at PPG Paints Arena.
Dewar glided into the slot and lifted a backhand that deflected off the stick of Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel and over Oettinger’s shoulder. Blake Lizotte had the lone assist.
Only two goaltenders in Stars history have gone longer. Ben Bishop holds the franchise mark at 233:04, set in 2018-19, and Ed Belfour went 219:26 in 2000-01. Dallas as a team went 206:08 without giving up a goal, which no Stars team had done before.
Jake Oettinger Stopped 54 Straight Shots
The run covered two full shutouts. Oettinger made 13 saves in a 5-0 home win over the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 5, then made 26 saves in a 4-0 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. He stopped 54 consecutive shots in all before Dewar’s backhand got through.
On Saturday, he finished with 20 saves on 21 shots. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Dallas has to score to help Oettinger out.
“(Oettinger) gave us a chance,” Gulutzan said. “You’ve got to score a goal to help him out. I don’t know. Eight shutout periods? You can’t ask for more than that. We had to be better in front of him today on the offensive side of things.”
Arturs Silovs matched him until Tyler Seguin tipped a Jason Robertson shot past him with 30 seconds left in regulation, with Oettinger pulled for an extra attacker. Seguin wanted to give his goaltender more help.
“He was phenomenal,” Seguin said. “He was the real reason we got a point tonight. He was great again and we would have liked to do a little more for him.”
In overtime, Oettinger stopped Evgeni Malkin twice in the final minute, 93.7 The Fan reported.
Benjamin Kindel, Sidney Crosby, and Rickard Rakell beat him in the shootout. Egor Chinakhov hit the post on Pittsburgh’s other attempt.
Stars Don’t Want To Waste Oettinger’s Strong Start
Through five games, Dallas has allowed 7 goals, the fewest in the NHL. Oettinger has a 0.74 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage this season.
The Stars blocked 24 shots Saturday to Pittsburgh’s 15. Tyler Myers had 6 of them.
Justin Hryckowian said Oettinger takes care of himself away from the rink.
“He’s as dialed (in) as they come,” Hryckowian said. “He takes care of himself away from the rink as well. He’s a pro’s pro. … When your goalies are dialed in like Jake and Casey (DeSmith), and obviously great guys as well, I think it’s just an added incentive that you want to get in front of those pucks for them.”
Oettinger, 27, was the 26th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. He signed an eight-year, $66 million extension in October 2024 that began with the 2025-26 season and carries an $8.25 million average annual value. Casey DeSmith signed a two-year, $5 million extension with Dallas on Sept. 30.
Gulutzan does not want to waste what Oettinger has given the Stars. Dallas has scored 11 goals in five games, which ranks 25th in the NHL.
“You don’t want to waste those performances,” Gulutzan said. “We need to create more, we need to be on our toes more.”
Dallas hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The teams meet again Wednesday in Denver at 7:30 p.m. CT.
