Stars’ Jake Oettinger is as clutch as it gets in the playoffs

The Dallas Stars defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 in Game 4 of their best-of-seven second-round series on Tuesday night, thanks to a hat trick from forward Michael Granlund and a 31-save performance from goaltender Jake Oettinger.

Oettinger has mostly outplayed Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, posting a .917 save percentage (SV%) and 2.55 goals against average (GAA), allowing just 10 goals in his last five games. This continues a trend of Stanley Cup Playoff success for the 26-year-old netminder, who has produced three playoff seasons with a save percentage of at least .913.

Now with a 3-1 series lead, the Stars are on the verge of clinching a spot in the Western Conference Finals for the fourth time in six seasons. Led by the strong goaltender of Oettinger and the play of Mikko Rantanen, who in 11 games has nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, Dallas may be the hottest team in the postseaosn.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss Oettinger’s impact on the Stars’ playoff run and how it will affect Dallas’ chances of winning its second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Jake Oettinger has been nearly flawless in both home and away games. I thought it was a fantastic quote from him to close out last night’s game, saying that aside from winning the Stanley Cup, my No. 1 goal is to be the starting goalie for Team USA in the 2026 Olympics. He’s making an important, huge statement in this playoff run, reminding everyone that he’s a clutch performer.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…