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Lukas Dostal was chased early in Game 5 after the Oilers scored three times on nine shots in the opening 10:13, turning a quick start into another rough night for the Ducks starter. Zach Hyman is the only required headline name here, but the verified facts provided do not include any Hyman-specific action to write into the story.
Joel Quenneville had little patience for singling out one player after the 4-1 loss Tuesday. He said “everybody” was to blame for Dostal’s bad start and added, “We’re moving forward,” when asked if he would consider a change in net for Game 6 on Thursday.
Lukas Dostal’s series numbers
The early exit fit a larger pattern. Dostal has allowed 3.6 goals above expected against the Oilers, and only two of his five playoff starts, Games 2 and 4, qualify as quality starts. Tuesday’s goal by Vasily Podkolzin on the Oilers’ first shot was the 12th time this season Dostal has been beaten by the first shot he faced, the league-worst mark in the verified facts.
The damage has come in tight. Edmonton has scored 13 of its 18 goals against him on his glove side, including eight high-glove goals and five low-glove goals. Dostal’s.714 save percentage on shots aimed at his high glove is the worst among the 15 goaltenders who have played at least four playoff games.
Oilers pressure inside
Edmonton has also found success in the middle of the ice. Dostal has faced 8.16 inner-slot shots on net per 60 minutes, third most among the 15 qualified goaltenders, and he has given up 11 inner-slot goals while stopping 67.6 per cent of those shots. Kasperi Kapanen leads the Oilers with three inner-slot goals in the series.
Anaheim’s side of the ledger is more complicated. The Ducks have scored 4.8 goals per 60 minutes when Dostal has been in net, the most among qualified goaltenders, and during the regular season he saved more goals than expected in 36 of his 55 starts, or 65.5 per cent. That split leaves Quenneville balancing the series damage against the larger body of work that got his team here.
Quenneville and Game 6
Before Game 4, Quenneville said, “I think we know the importance of goaltending, and I think everybody has stretches where you’re great and other stretches where you’re just OK,” and, “And I think as a team, I think we’re all in this together. And what’s in front of (Dostal), we can help him out in that area. We expect that goaltending is something that’s a team thing. And we can all improve in that area.” After Tuesday’s loss, he said nobody was off the hook, then pointed the discussion back to Thursday’s Game 6 without committing to a change.
Connor Ingram sits right behind Dostal at 4.02 goals per 60 minutes and is 14th out of 15 goaltenders in goals saved above expected, leaving the Ducks still searching for steadier netminding as the series tightens. Game 5 left that search exposed, and Quenneville’s answer suggests the crease stays his to manage for now.
