Oettinger outduelling Hellebuyck as Stars hold advantage over Jets in second round
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As the second-round series between the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars rages on, the play of goaltenders Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger has taken centre stage through the first three games.
Dallas leads the series 2-1 after winning Sunday’s Game 3, with Hellebuyck, a 2025 Hart Trophy nominee having been outduelled by Oettinger twice in the first three games of the Western Conference semifinal.
Hellebuyck posted an .875 save percentage in the series opener, surrendering three goals to Mikko Rantanen in a 3-2 loss. He bounced back in Game 2 with his first shutout of the 2025 playoffs to tie the series at 1-1, before continuing his postseason road woes with five goals against in a Game 3 loss.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the early stages of the third period, Hellebuyck was scored on for his third goal against of the evening. The puck hit off the skate of Stars defenceman Alexander Petrovic before Hellebuyck paddled it into the net for a 3-2 lead in the final frame.
After a lengthy review to determine whether Petrovic had scored using a kicking motion, the goal stood after it was determined that the Jets’ netminder ultimately put the puck past the goal line.
“It was a pretty lucky goal,” Petrovic said after the game via NHL.com. “But it was a good timely goal.”
Hellebuyck would give up another goal less than one minute of game time later to Rantanen, before Wyatt Johnston put the game out of reach late in the frame.
The Jets star has yet to win a game on the road this postseason, going 0-4-0 while allowing 21 goals on 92 shots. He was also pulled in all three away games against the St. Louis Blues in the first round.
His 3.51 goals-against average is the second-highest mark among goalies with at least six starts this postseason, while his .848 save percentage is the third-lowest behind Washington Capitals netminder Charlie Lindgren and Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers, who have combined to make four starts this postseason.
Oettinger has been a steady presence for the Stars this postseason, allowing more than three goals on just two occasions through 10 starts.
The 26-year-old holds a 2.71 goals-against average through 10 starts, while recording a .911 save percentage, the third-highest mark among goaltenders who have started at least seven games. He also leads the league with 277 saves made.
Both Hellebuyck and Oettinger were named to the United States’ roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February in what resulted in a second-place finish after falling to Canada in overtime of the championship game.
Hellebuyck, a native of Commerce Township, Mich., started four out five contests for the Americans, including their loss to Canada in the final.
Hailing from Lakeville, Minn., Oettinger made just one start at the best-on-best tournament, a 3-2 loss to Sweden in the final game of the round-robin, with the United States having already secured the top spot ahead of the championship game.
Both goalies have cemented themselves as the top options in net for the United States at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan next winter, but Oettinger has made a strong case to be named as the team’s starter with his performance through three games in the second-round series.