Oettinger's Third Shutout in Six Starts: Stars Blank Chicago, Hintz Practices After the Hand Scare, and Boston Visits Tonight

By Nolan Frost, RF Sports Radio Stars voice

Stars Nation, I asked for a regulation win in Chicago before I would believe. Dallas gave me a 4-0 shutout. Now the real test walks into American Airlines Center tonight: a Boston team that has been winning almost every night.

The facts

The Dallas Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the United Center, per NHL.com. Jake Oettinger made 19 saves for his third shutout of the season, and NHL.com notes he is the first goaltender in Stars history with three shutouts through his first six appearances of a season. The AP reports it was his 19th career shutout and lowered his goals-against average to 1.00.

Arttu Hyry scored twice for his first multigoal NHL game. Jason Robertson had a power-play goal and an assist, and Roope Hintz scored before taking a puck to the right hand or wrist area late in the third. Dallas outshot Chicago 32-19. Wyatt Johnston returned from a two-game illness absence and played 20:25 with five shots. The Stars are 4-3-1, have won two straight, are 4-1-1 in their last six, and the win was Glen Gulutzan's 200th as an NHL head coach, per the AP.

The Hintz scare looks minor. He took part in Monday's practice and should be good to go, per CBS Sports, citing Mike Heika of the Stars' official site. Tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 20, Dallas hosts the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. Central. Boston comes in 7-2-0, per Inside The Rink. Matt Duchene remains out after core surgery, expected to miss about three months, per NHL.com.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: Oettinger is the story, and it is not close. Three shutouts in six starts is not luck, even if he joked about the posts. The team in front of him has bought in defensively, which is how you win with Duchene out and the middle six still sorting itself out. I liked Hyry most. Depth scoring was my worry in Chicago, and he answered it twice.

Boston is a different animal. The Bruins have the record, the confidence and David Pastrnak. This is the first night where Dallas' defensive identity meets an offense that can punish one bad change. If Hintz is truly fine, the top two lines stay intact, and that matters more than anything on the injury list.

My call: Stars 3, Bruins 2, with Oettinger in net and a third-period goal from the second line. That is a prediction, not a report. If Boston's power play gets two chances early, this flips fast.

What to watch next

Puck drop is tonight at 7 p.m. Central at American Airlines Center. Watch Hintz's ice time, the goalie decision, and whether Hyry stays on a scoring line. For the Oct. 16 column before Chicago, read our Oct. 16 Stars column on the road to Chicago, and follow the Dallas Stars page.

Radio question: is Jake Oettinger playing the best hockey of his career right now, or is this Stars defense making everybody look good?

Sources: NHL.com — Hyry gets first multigoal game, Stars blank Blackhawks; NBC 5 DFW / AP — Oettinger has 3rd shutout of season; CBS Sports — Roope Hintz participates in Monday's practice; Inside The Rink — Bruins at Stars preview, Oct. 20; NHL.com — Matt Duchene has surgery, will be out 3 months.