He’s infectious. EDMONTON, Alberta — Anton Khudobin gloved the puck out of the air on Shea Theodore’s shot at the most intense moment of the game like it was part of a leisurely morning practice. “All we need is to finish,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. He was also a bit of a ham. According to a tweet by a Russian reporter, Khudobin, once eyeing it, told his teammates, “Maybe we just steal it and run!”. “He’s this high-energy, fun-loving, emotional guy that enjoys hockey,” said Lucic, reached at home in Calgary. Let’s call it luck.”. Спасибо @khudobin_fans !”

What are you going to do tomorrow?’ It’s kind of keeping me loose.”. “When the game’s on the line and it’s a 2-1 game, you’re late, you’ve got to do whatever it takes to get that win and our guys did that," Bowness said. Blake Comeau and Oleksiak each logged six smacks for the Stars … The Stanley Cup was on the premises for everyone to see. The Kazakhstan-born stopper, drafted No.

Dallas saw an opportunity to ease the workload of starter Ben Bishop, signing Khudobin for two years and $5 million. “I think that’s just one of the things we want to do to create offense, getting the D involved.”. With the lethargy gone from their legs after 40 minutes, the Bolts proved with their 22 shots in the third period that they had finally caught up to the Dallas speed.

"Just a guy who loves life. But the Stars are treating a goaltender-led Game 4 victory like just another step along the way. The Dallas Stars take Game 1 of the Western Conference Final playing their brand of hockey. He leads the room.

Oleksiak, a fellow Ontarian, played only the 2010-11 season for Greg Cronin’s Huntington Hounds, and then a junior season in the OHL prior to turning pro as a 19-year-old. “What do you want me to do, like right now? “They gutted that out and they blocked the shots, they paid the price, and we got the win.”. “We thought Boston and ourselves play a similar style of game,” general manager Jim Nill said. The former Bruins goaltender goes about his puck-stopping with an entertaining mishmash of state-of-the-art butterfly components in his tool kit, along with the same kind of scrambling yard-sale approach that Tim Thomas, another ex-Bruins netminder, employed en route to winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy in 2011. Can you do something for this?” Khudobin complained to Robinson, a mellow veteran of the sticks and skates trade. On Behind the B, NESN’s Black and Gold-tinted version of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” Khudobin play-wrestled at practice with a young Jimmy Fund visitor, and exasperatedly picked out a Christmas present for his mom, Tatiana. In another scene, he sat on the backup’s stool for a game against Ottawa. When he was reading the play like he was tonight, he’s making a lot of tough saves look easy. The Stars' No. Anton Khudobin looked down at the talisman and grinned, soaking in a movie-like moment. Khudobin, 34, added another chapter to his fairy-tale postseason run in Game 1, turning aside 34 shots for a 4-1 win and improving his own playoff mark to 13-6. Bishop’s injuries this summer, which opened the door for Khudobin to play, further justified an important decision for the club. Because of Khudobin, they have a few supporters in Calgary. He is four wins from entering free agency with a Cup ring. After Dallas killed off that Vegas power play, the Golden Knights didn't get much the rest of the night. “I think the effort’s there. It would be awesome.”. Age 34 and 14 seasons into his pro career, he’s why the Stars were enjoying a few days off before the final round. And that’s despite the fact he helped knock them out of the first round. He victoriously pumped his fists. Brayden Point, who helped wreck the Bruins in Round 2, also was kept off the scoresheet and finished an ugly minus-3 (also high for either side) … Total hits for the night: 106, with a slight edge (56) to the Lightning … While the Bolts fired 22 times in the third, the Stars managed but two on the Tampa Bay net, one of them by Jason Dickinson into an empty net. Dobby Days roll on in Edmonton, where Dallas will carry the Western Conference banner for the first time since North Texas fell in love with Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, and Brett Hull’s skate in Dominik Hasek’s crease in 1999 and 2000.Their man these days is Khudobin, the gregarious former Bruins backup who is shining in his first run as a playoff starter.

"I think you see it around the league, defensemen jumping up and trying to get shots. “They’re still making fun of me: ‘What are you going to do tomorrow? 206 by Minnesota in 2004, needed 16 years to be given the chance to be the guy who backs a playoff run. "We did our homework, as far as his personality. He’s one of the best guys you’ll ever meet. "He’s getting there, anticipating the shot. The 6-7, 255-pound Oleksiak (a.k.a. But Stars players didn't celebrate like they're 60 minutes away from the franchise's first trip to the final since 2000. During his postgame Zoom presser, Oleksiak confirmed that some of his toothless smile was expanded in Game 1 when he lost another chicklet in the second period while executing a hit in the corner. “You need the fourth man on the rush. “My back is itchy. 3,759 Likes, 66 Comments - Anton Khudobin (@anton_khudobin31official) on Instagram: “I just love this photo!!! His reads have been great. He’s not chasing the game around. “We put ourselves in a tough situation there,” said Pavelski, whose tripping penalty set up the 5-on-3 with 6:44 left. Anton Khudobin hugs Tuukka Rask after the Bruins posted a 2017 win. In the opposite net, elite Tampa Bay tender Andrei Vasilevskiy, all style and pedigree, was a blend of both tired and average. But more important than anything, he’s a competitive guy and he’ll do anything he can to stop the puck.”. Just something we’ve done a good job of so far.”. The big mug usually isn’t spotted inside the rink until there is a series-clinching opportunity. But that’s what he is: He’s a battler, he’s a competitive guy and he’s keeping us in every game.”. “In this league today, your [defensemen] have to be a big part of your offense,” said Bowness. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. “Ate a little bit of elbow there,” he said. It was the same in Boston. Khudobin, whose save percentage in the regular season was an NHL-best .930, is operating at a .920 clip this postseason, second to Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. “We’re staying in the moment here as a group,” Benn said. “When he’s on, he’s reading the play,” added Bowness. “They still talking to us, and saying, ‘OK, you gotta go, you gotta go, relax, do this and that,’” a visibly thrilled Khudobin said on the ice, moments after clinching the West. The Stars now have 15 goals from their backliners in the postseason, after collecting 26 back there across 69 games of the regular season. “I don’t know if it’s luck or whatever. Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin goes to great lengths to keep the puck out of his net with a scrambling style. whose parents once gave up their home and jobs in Siberia to chase their son’s burgeoning hockey career, From 2017: Anton Khudobin's parents took a huge risk, and Bruins reap the rewards. “His positional play has been great. Anton Khudobin makes a save in a recent playoff win over Vegas. 1 goalie Anton Khudobin is thrilled to be leading the Dallas into the Stanley Cup Final after so many years as second fiddle. In an interview with sports radio station the Ticket , Khudobin explained the origin of the famous photo, which depicts the Stanley Cup-bound goalie housing a tray of crawfish while holding a massive beer. Anton Khudobin's Personal Life. By the game’s current No. It's a goaltender so locked in that he has the Dallas Stars one victory away from the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s huge, huge, huge.”. He’s a battler. “Listen, he’s just a great competitor,” said Dallas coach Rick Bowness, after watching a near-possessed “Doby” turn back 22 Lightning shots in the third period Saturday in Game 1 of the Cup Final. The Stars won despite being outshot, 33-20, and don’t seem to mind that they trail Vegas in shots, 130-92, because Khudobin has stopped so many of them. They didn't put a shot on net during the final 3:50, during which the Stars blocked three attempts — one by star center Tyler Seguin with 86 seconds left. He was The Wolf of Wall Street in goalie pads. Jim Davis “He’s one of the favorite guys in every room he’s in. Anton Khudobin saves Dallas Stars once again; Vegas Golden Knights pushed to edge of elimination By Stephen Whynow Associated Press, Updated September 13, …

“Where — you want me to scratch your back?”. Milan Lucic, his former Bruins teammate, always finds time to crack a joke with Khudobin during a game. Why Khudobin? The detailed information regarding the probable girlfriend/spouse/wife of Anton Khudobin is not yet disclosed on media. On the penalty kill and at even strength, Dallas has also done a masterful job of copying the way the Canucks almost beat Vegas last round, by collapsing defensively and giving their goaltender the chance to see a vast majority of the shots from the outside. According to Bowness, the Stars spent the first three days of July’s return-to-play camp emphasizing the need to get the back line more engaged in scoring. There was only one choice for Andrej Sekera, the Dallas Stars defenseman who had the ritual duty of passing on the team’s celebratory chain necklace after they made the Stanley Cup Final. Like a bear on a pine tree, he pushed his back against the glass behind him. How can you not cheer for a guy like that? 1,842 Likes, 176 Comments - Anton Khudobin (@anton_khudobin31official) on Instagram: “Those boards regulation height or what?! Perhaps it's that Dallas led Colorado last round 3-1 before needing Game 7 to move on, or past playoff failures. The former Boston Bruins goalie made three of his 32 saves on a crucial 5-on-3 penalty kill late, Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn scored in the second period, and the Stars locked down on the Vegas Golden Knights in the final minutes to win Game 4 of the Western Conference final, 2-1, Saturday night. Khudobin has turned aside a few of those good looks, like when he spun his body to prevent a goal by William Karlsson in the second or dived to deny Brayden McNabb early in the third.

Khudobin did show some style with 12:08 gone in the third when he flashed the leather to glove a sizzling Zach Bogosian slapper that could have brought the Bolts within a goal. There’s really no fitting Anton Khudobin neatly into the NHL goalie’s stylebook. Anton Khudobin posted on Instagram: “Don’t sweat #isitoctoberyet #hockey #team #teammates @radulov22 krasava)))” • See 405 photos and videos on their profile. Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin had a busy night, but got the win in Game 4 of the Western Conference final. “Don’t get wrapped up in styles — get wrapped up [in] the job description: stop the puck. Dallas' Andrej Sekera and Anton Khudobin celebrate a playoff win over Calgary last month. “Big Rig”) has chipped in with five goals, a pair more than he scored in the regular season. “Whenever there is an opportunity to jump up and get shots, we want to try to do that. But he has the big job now, and each night he looks destined to lead the Stars to their second Cup in franchise history.

“That’s why the guys love playing in front of him. He was an understudy for Rask (Boston) and Cam Ward (Carolina) and a third-stringer in Anaheim. Khudobin surely would have returned the favor if asked. “Style points there,” noted NBC commentator Brian Boucher, the former goalie … Tampa Bay forward Barclay Goodrow, the former Shark, finished with a game-high 12 hits. How can you not root for the absolute beauty that is Anton Khudobin?

I think we’re creating a lot of really good looks.”.