Stars’ Jake Oettinger leaves game vs. Senators with lower-body injury, will not return

After leaving Friday night’s game between the Dallas Stars and Ottawa Senators with a lower-body injury, Bally Sports reporter Brien Rea reported that goaltender Jake Oettinger would not return.

Backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood took over in the Stars’ net.

The injury may have occurred midway through the first period when Oettinger made an awkward save on a Claude Giroux shot. The 24-year-old Oettinger allowed two goals in the first 2:51 of the game on goals from Travis Hamonic and Drake Batherson.

The Senators were winning 2-0 when Oettinger exited the game.

Oettinger entered the contest with an 11-7-2 record and a .915 save percentage. Last season, the six-foot-four netminder put together a 37-11-11 record with a .919 save percentage in 62 appearances, including a 10-9-0 record in the post-season.

Through five NHL seasons, Oettinger has a 89-41-21 record with a .915 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against-average.

Oettinger is in the second year of a three-year, $12 million dollar deal he signed in Sept. 2022.

Oettinger was taken 26th overall by the Stars in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The product of Lakeville, Minn. had three dominant seasons playing college hockey with Boston University between the 2016-17 and 2018-19 season. His best statistical season was his freshman year, where Oettinger had a 21-11-3 record with a .927 save percentage in 35 appearances.

Oettinger twice represented the U.S. at the World Junior Championships, winning gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018.