Dallas Stars backup goalie Scott Wedgewood was thrust into the starting role after All-Star Jake Oettinger went down with a lower-body injury against the Ottawa Senators on December 15.
Wedgewood has played admirably during the 11-game stretch and made a solid case to be put into the lineup more frequently despite recent struggles as he returns to the net on Wednesday night after a brief rest.
“He’s done an exceptional job of exactly that this year,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told the media on Wednesday morning. “He’s made it easy for us to make those decisions, play him, and put him in there. His body of work has made it easy to go back to him tonight. That’s what you need players to do.”
Wedgewood came in for Oettinger during the game and started the next 10 contests. He went 5-2 as the starter in December but has lost his last three starts.
“It gets hard. I’m not shy to admit it,” Wedgewood told the media Wednesday. “It’s a lot of work. … It’s a situation I haven’t been in, and I think the coolest thing about it was I was able to learn, and if it ever happens again, however long I need to go again, I’ll take the information into.”
“It’s similar but different,” he added. “It’s got a different mental aspect to it, but being ready at all times is something I take pride in, and I gave it my all every single game — whether it was a good performance, bad performance, or okay performance.”
The Stars recalled minor league goalie Matt Murray from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Texas Stars and started him against the Minnesota Wild on Monday to give Wedgewood a break. Murray stopped all 23 shots he faced and collected his first career shutout.
“Ecstatic for him,” Wedgewood said when asked about the performance. “It was just like it was written for him. We played well; he played amazing. The first five to 10 minutes could have been a completely different game, but he stood on his head for us.”
Murray remains with the team on Wednesday, but Wedgewood will make the start and be a significant part of the team as the season progresses.
“We’re going to need him,” DeBoer explained. “We’ve still got 40-something games left here. He’s going to have to play a lot down the stretch here. … People have to remember, Jake’s coming off a summer of surgery and now a setback with an injury during the year, so we’ll need both guys.”
The Stars are optimistic that Oettinger is nearing a return, but Wedgewood will continue to man the net until then. The Stars (23-11-5) host the Minnesota Wild (17-18-4) at 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday ahead of back-to-back home games this weekend.