ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The 2024-25 NHL season has begun, and the Anaheim Ducks are fortunate to be enjoying a healthier start compared to last year. While injuries plagued the team early in the previous season, including the absence of key players like Alex Killorn, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Leo Carlsson, this year has seen a much more stable lineup. When it comes to skater injuries, there's been little to none except for one setback with starting goalie John Gibson undergoing an appendectomy, which has opened the door for Lukas Dostal to take the reins in goal. Dostal has stepped up impressively, proving himself as a reliable option early in the season.
Due to Gibson's injury, Dostal has played 5 games thus far this season and is 3-1-1, with his two losses coming against two former playoff teams, the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche. Dostal is rocking a solid .936 save percentage, ranking him 11th among all goalies with 3 or more games played. This is even more impressive considering he has faced the second-most shots of any goalie.
Lukas Dostal had 45 SAVES on the night but NONE better than this beauty in OT 😵 pic.twitter.com/cUrYR1bJQq
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 19, 2024
The story of Ducks' goalies getting flooded with shots continues. In 5 games Dostal has faced 171 shots, totaling an average of 34.2 shots per game. Anaheim ranks 2nd for most shots against per game and they rank 27th in shots per game, averaging only 26.7.
Lukas Dostal currently leads the league in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with an impressive 6.7, a key metric that highlights his standout performance this season. In the world of hockey analytics, this is where Dostal truly establishes himself as one of the top goalies so far. He also ranks first in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), boasting a 1.1, further solidifying his value to the team.
Cronin was asked about Lukas Dostal and his performance this season and this was his response, "If our whole team personified the way he plays the game, which is 120 percent, we’d be undefeated." This had pretty much been a theme of the Ducks for the past few seasons, they've had some really rough records but it's never been the goalie to blame for that. It's remarkable to consider how much worse the team's record could be without John Gibson, and now, Lukas Dostal.
Dostal is coming off a gold medal win in the World Championship as he finished the tournament with a 6-2 record and a jaw-dropping .939 SV%.
Lukas entered training camp this offseason with an unreal amount of confidence thanks to the World Championship, and he is continuing to ride that high into this season, as one of the league's best goalies.
John Gibson has returned to practice and will accompany the Ducks on their east coast road trip. He it not confirmed that he'll play, but it is expected that he could be ready within a week or so. It'll be interesting to see the battle for starting goaltender take place when John Gibson is ready to go.