Morning Skate: The Dallas Stars aren’t hurting too much from an inconsistent Ben Bishop, yet

When the Dallas Stars acquired Ben Bishop in May, many believed their goaltending problems to be solved. And why wouldn’t they? Bishop was a standout during his time in Tampa Bay, as the netminder spent five seasons there with a .921 save percentage.

Since joining the Stars, however, Bishop has looked more like his struggles during his seven-game stint in Los Angeles last season hadn’t left him. This year, Bishop has a .908 save percentage in 14 games played with the Stars after allowing five goals to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

Despite starting the year strong, Bishop has since gone his last 12 games headed into Monday with a .898 save percentage. While his record is 6-4-1 in that time span with the Stars, the netminder hasn’t been up to par.

So, are the Stars cursed to have below-average netminding despite trying to solve their problem? Surprisingly, Dallas has done quite well for itself in the underlying numbers department. According to Corsica, the Stars have the NHL’s seventh best even-strength CF% at 52.23, while their 2.32 GA/60 is in the middle of the pack at five-on-five.

Part of the Stars’ average goaltending numbers has been thanks to Kari Lehtonen, who has put up a .914 save percentage in five games as Dallas’ backup. While the Stars have gotten some of the best goaltending out of Lehtonen in this backup role than they had when he was their starter, he’s been serviceable enough in that role.

It does seem like the Stars will get a better Bishop as the year goes on. And so far, it hasn’t hurt the team too badly, as the Stars are 9-8-0 on the season and in possession of the last wild card spot in the West. As the races tighten for a playoff spot, the Stars will need Bishop to be better. Thankfully, he has the track record to prove he can be.