Dostal learning game is punishing
In the dressing room, not long after the Ducks’ one-sided loss to Buffalo, rookie goaltender Lukas Dostal was digesting the fact that he gave up seven goals in what was a rough night for him and the team Wednesday night.
Sitting beside Dostal was the Ducks’ No. 1 goaltender John Gibson, who was clearly serving as a sounding board and perhaps even a consoling presence. There was a quiet dialogue back and forth, and at the end of it, Gibson made it clear he would be a resource for Dostal as he adjusts to life in the NHL.
This is the way of the goaltending fraternity. Nominally, these are players that are competing for jobs and ice time, but the reality is that in almost every situation they understand that their jobs are different from other position players.
In the best team dynamics, goaltenders support one another. That’s clearly the case in what is amounting to a lost season for the Ducks. And because they play a loose defensive system, it has put a lot of weight on the goaltenders. Fairly consistently — especially of late — they leave the goaltenders hung out to dry.
It’s a difficult task to manage, even for a veteran goaltender, and particularly challenging for a young goaltender still trying to make the full-time leap to the NHL.
But Dostal has shown enough signs this season — most notably in wins at Montreal and Edmonton in December — to suggest he is going to be the Ducks’ goaltender of the future. And Gibson has demonstrated he is still capable of playing at a high level, if only he could get more support.
Dostal was recalled from San Diego in the AHL on Feb. 11 due to the lowerbody injury sustained by backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz. After Wednesday’s morning skate, Dostal spoke about his appearance in the AHL’s All-Star Game in Laval, Quebec, earlier this month. Dostal was named the game’s co-MVP with fellow goalie Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Wranglers.
“We have a mutual respect for each other,” Dostal said of Wolf. “It’s very important in the sport to have mutual respect. Obviously we are completely different goalies. He is a real athletic, fast goalie. I play a little bit different than him.”
Dostal was particularly expansive on his approach to the game — and life, in general.
“You have to stay humble because the game can punish you pretty quickly,” said Dostal, who doesn’t turn 23 until June 22.
Several hours later, that’s exactly what happened. Dostal’s save percentage against the Sabres was .841 in the 7-3 defeat, which was his worst performance since he gave up five goals in relief of Gibson on Dec. 13 in Toronto. Two days later, however, Dostal bounced back with a stellar showing in a 5-2 win in Montreal.
Dostal’s last start with the Ducks before Wednesday’s loss against Buffalo was an overtime loss against Calgary on Dec. 23. He was later sent down and his first two games back with the San Diego Gulls were back-to-back shutouts against Henderson on Jan. 1 and Milwaukee on Jan. 6, both on the road.
“When I got back, I was confident,” Dostal said. “The game is different from here to down there. There’s still really good players there. I had three, four good games and one bad game. I didn’t play that well and lost my habits in that game. It keeps you humble. It’s like a good slap to your face.
“You have to respect everybody. And it’s the same up here. When I got here, I respect the league so much. I’m still a young goaltender. I’m trying to stay humble, work every day and that’s just the key and that’s how it’s supposed to be.”