Oettinger really needs to be better. He has not looked the same since he returned from injury on November 10th. I understand that the defense is front of him is very susceptible and have not been good the last couple weeks as well, but three goals in a three minute span is rough, and he's GOT to make at least one of those saves to keep his team in the game. Part of his job is making a big save when his team really needs it especially when the defensive coverage around him breaks down.
I got a lot of pushback from some Stars' fans for saying that he has been struggling, but it's one hundred percent true! I have been very consistent myself in pointing out players that have not been producing well or playing well including Suter and several others (mostly looking at defensemen).
I went and looked at the goalies stats for Oettinger and Wedgewood in between the 2nd and 3rd period of the 6-5 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. Since Jake has returned from injury, he holds a .895 save percentage including the Wild game where he was pulled after the 2nd period. To put in perspective, over the same period of time, Wedgewood has a .918 save percentage. Before his injury, Oettinger had a ridiculous .952 save percentage.
I'm not saying that Wedgewood should be the starter, nor am I saying that we should get rid of Otter. That would be downright stupid, but it's obvious to look at the numbers and see that Otter has been struggling as of late. I don't expect it to stay at the same numbers that he started the season with.
All of that said, Otter will bounce back from this slump he's been in and I expect he'll get the start on Tuesday against the Maple Leafs.
