– "Ducks Find Their Starter: Rising Goalie Seizes the Spotlight
By Dahlia
The Anaheim Ducks started off with a 4-4-2 record, surprising a lot of people. The expectations were that the team would finish last in both the Pacific Division and in the NHL as their younger players came of age.
The Ducks' starting goalie John Gibson was injured early in the season and is out for the first couple of weeks.
The Anaheim Ducks went to 24-year-old puck-stopper Lukas Dostal as a replacement. Dostal has settled the Ducks into the season and has held down the starting position.
Eight of the Ducks' 2018 third-round pick's first 10 games have been great. His record is 4-2-2, with points in six of eight starts. That record is incredible enough, but it gets much better.
Last season Dostal played in 38 Ducks games and demonstrated at times glimpses of form. He has enhanced every aspect of his game this season. His GAA is 1.99, and his save percentage is.945%.
NHL EDGE says Dostal has been unplayable in the most dangerous parts of the ice this season. He stops about 88% of high-danger shots, ranking in the 90th percentile among NHL netminders.
League average is about 10% lower. More impressively, his mid-range save percentage bests 94 percent of NHL goalies.
This is shocking to the NHL as Dostal now proves to be Anaheim's number one goalie in playing like a number one puck-stopper. He will surely attract the eyes of the NHL if he continues playing this way.