NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Tuesday’s matchup between the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
On the morning of Oct. 19, ahead of their game in Philadelphia, the picture of the Stars’ season was an ugly one. Through nine games they had one win and their goaltending wasn’t doing them any favors.
Heading into that Saturday night date with the Flyers, Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop had combined for an .899 even strength save percentage. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn had a three goals total between them. A slow start was putting pressure on everyone.
One month and seven days after that 4-1 win over the Flyers, the Stars have only lost twice since and have vaulted up the Western Conference standings with 32 points in 25 games. They enter tonight’s game against the Blackhawks with a 12-game points streak, matching the franchise record. Monday’s 4-2 win over the Golden Knights featured multi-point nights from Seguin, John Klingberg and Alex Radulov, as well as another strong performance from their starting goaltender.
“You have two goalies who are really good, and they give you a chance to win every time,” said defenseman John Klingberg.
[COVERAGE OF STARS-BLACKHAWKS BEGINS AT 7 P.M. ET - NBCSN]
Powering that reversal in course? Great special teams (20.8% power play, 87.9% penalty kill) for one, but it’s really been the goaltending, which head coach Jim Montgomery recently labeled as “the backbone of this team.” And it hasn’t been a one-man show. Montgomery has given 11 starts to Bishop and five to Khudobin, and the split has paid off. They’ve combined for a .944 ESSV% in the Stars’ last 16 games with neither goalie getting more than three consecutive starts.
The strong performance of their goaltending is a continuation from last season when the pair combined for a .934 ESSV%, which put them right behind the Islanders, who’s two goalies, Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, won the Jennings Trophy.
“We are very fortunate to have [Bishop] as our starter and have [Khudobin] as 1B or 1A, or whatever you want to call it,” Montgomery said following Sunday’s win over the Blackhawks. “It’s two years now that we are very fortunate with the goalies we have that backbone this team.”
MORE: Beyond Benn and Seguin: Breaking down Stars’ hot streak
Tonight’s studio coverage will be hosted by Kathryn Tappen alongside analysts Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp. John Forslund and AJ Mleczko will call the action from United Center in Chicago, Ill.
NBCSN presents the national presentation of HeadStrong, an NBC Sports Regional Networks’ documentary about mental health and sports, Wednesday, November 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET following Wednesday Night Hockey.
The feature documentary tells the story of four elite athletes who have faced mental health challenges: Justise Winslow, forward/guard for the Miami Heat; Nathan Braaten, former Oregon State University soccer player and founder of Dam Worth It; Hayden Hurst, Baltimore Ravens tight end; and Clint Malarchuk, former goalie for the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, and Buffalo Sabres. Six-time Pro Bowl receiver and Founder of House Of Athlete Brandon Marshall also appears in the program and serves as an executive producer.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.