Stars happy to rely on Khudobin

EDMONTON, Alberta — Born when Kazakhstan was still part of the Soviet Union, Anton Khudobin just wanted to make it to the NHL one day. Little did he dream of winning the Stanley Cup.

When he accomplished his first childhood goal and got a front-row seat for a deep playoff run practicing with the Bruins in 2011, everything changed.

“When I realized it’s not easy to get there, it’s not easy to get even to the finals, I start thinking it would be a great accomplishment at some point to get there and win the Cup,” Khudobin said.

He and the Stars are three victories away thanks in large part to Khudobin’s play in his first postseason as a starting goaltender at age 34. While the history of the chase for the Stanley Cup is full of hot goalies carrying teams through the playoffs, the guy affectionately known as “Dobby” is one of the unlikeliest heroes in net after a career as a backup and a style of play that hasn’t been seen much in the league for decades.

“I think he surprised me the most,” said Nikolai Khabibulin, the only Russian goalie to win the Stanley Cup. “He’s really not like almost all of the goalies right now. If I had to describe him in a few words, he’s like a modern version of Martin Brodeur. He plays totally different than most of the guys nowadays, and I think part of it is his age. When you get older, it’s harder to get some new things that younger guys are bringing in. I would think that he believes in what he’s doing and it’s been working now. I think he has a ton of confidence and he keeps you in it.”

The Stars lead the Lightning after one game of the final and are oozing with confidence because of Khudobin

“He’s such a competitive guy, he’s such a battler in the net, he’s such a great teammate, so I’m very happy for him to get the recognition that he’s getting now,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “Long overdue.”