The Secret is Out: Lukas Dostal is Casually Incredible
Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal may be the early favorite for the Vezina Trophy
The Anaheim Ducks are 4-4-1 in 2024-25, and sophomore goaltender Lukas Dostal has been the most impactful contributing factor and the runaway MVP for the team in the early stretch of the season.
Dostal (24) has started seven of the Ducks' nine games thus far, where they've posted a 4-2-1 record, and he's given them a chance to win in every game he's between the pipes.
He now leads the league in SV% (among goaltenders with a minimum of four games played) with .943, has one shutout, and has saved 10.86 goals above expected (also leading the NHL).
Because the Ducks remain at NHL .500, sit sixth in the Pacific Division standings, and play in a small market in the Pacific time zone, his play to this point had gone mostly overlooked.
Following his second 40-plus save performance of the season on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders, a game that elevated his numbers to the NHL's very best among goaltenders, league media personalities have begun to take notice.
The Athletic's Shayna Goldman remarked on Dostal's performance on Tuesday, a game in which it took a 60-foot seam pass on a dying 5v3 power play and a perfect shot over his short side shoulder to get a puck by him.
Dimitri Filipovic of Sportsnet's "PDOCast" commented on the quality and quantity of Dostal's saves in his first seven starts of the season.
While the shot and chance discrepancy is staggering, for the most part, the Ducks' defensive structure has been a notable improvement in 2024-25. They are primarily keeping shots to the perimeter and defensive breakdowns in coverage are far less common than year's past.
A trademark trait of Dostal's game, however, is when those breakdowns do occur and there's a scramble in the low slot, he remains composed and true to his angle.
He's flashed a handful of remarkably athletic saves in the games he's played, especially against the rush, to keep his team in games that may be slipping away or that they had been out-possessed and/or out-shot in.
The separating factor for Dostal, making him a special talent, is his uncanny ability to track pucks East-West through seams and through layered screens on perimeter shots.
The Ducks have been without John Gibson for the first nine games of the season to date, as he's been sidelined due to an emergency appendectomy on Sept. 26.
Dostal has been the largest contributor to the Ducks remaining above water in 2024-25, but his usage is among the highest in the league and he's faced the most shots of any goaltender in the NHL.
The Ducks' front office and coaching staff intended to deploy a true tandem and ride the hot hand when it came to start distribution. While Dostal has been remarkable and possibly the early Vezina favorite, Gibson's return could ensure Dostal's potential to remain fresh and at his most effective through the latter stages of the schedule.
Dostal's incredible performance this season is as casual as they come as he remains humble, confident, and dialed. The future of the Ducks' crease looks as secure as it has likely since the early stages of Gibson's career.