On the TNT broadcast following the Stars' win over Edmonton, Jake Oettinger got to talk to one of his boyhood heroes.

Every athlete has a sports hero they would like to emulate or look up to, someone to inspire them to reach for the highest level in their sport.

For Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, that source of inspiration comes from former New York Rangers and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

While being interviewed on TNT's postgame show following the Stars' 5-0 rout of the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night at American Airlines Center, Oettinger finally got to express that sentiment to his boyhood hero.

Lundqvist was one of the studio analysts during the broadcast along with play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert and several other analysts. During Oettinger's postgame interview, Lundqvist told him, "I love everything about your game."

When Albert asked how it felt to be complimented by Lundqvist, Oettinger replied, "Hank's my favorite goalie of all time. So to get to be talking to you Hank now is pretty cool and a dream come true. I look up to you a lot and (it's) just an honor to have you say those kind of words about me."

Lundqvist spent all 15 of his NHL seasons with the Rangers, and is the team's all-time leader in wins (459() and shutouts (64). In each of his first three seasons, he was a Vezina Trophy nominee before finally winning the award in 2012.

Lundqvist retired in 2021 due to a heart condition. He underwent aortic valve replacement surgery, which was the subject of the Jonathan Hock film "Open Heart", which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Last year, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Oettinger has been putting up Lundqvist-like numbers recently. He has reeled off six consecutive wins, including back-to-back shutouts. Over those six games, he's allowed just seven goals with a .954 save percentage.

Heading into this Saturday's road game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Oettinger has not given up a goal in over 152 minutes, the last one coming against the Vancouver Canucks March 28. He has 10 shutouts during his career, three coming this season.

The win over Edmonton extended the Stars' winning streak to eight games, now the longest in franchise history. Oettinger is proud to be part of such a historic landmark and hopes to keep the momentum going through the postseason.

"There have been a lot of great teams in this organization over the years, so to have the longest win streak is pretty cool," Oettinger said following Wednesday's victory. "Hopefully we can grow that as much as we can. It's a great group of guys in here. It's a special group, and hopefully we can keep building and working on our game and getting it where we want it to be for the playoffs."

It's no coincidence that the Stars are playing their best hockey when Oettinger is at the top of his game.

"He's been very good," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said following Wednesday's game. "We've bent and given up some grade-A chances, but he's dialed in right now. He looks like he's in his zone. When he gets that way, he looks like you could shoot all night and not score on him."

It's a small sample size, and the postseason is always full of surprises. The Stars hope Oettinger can stay locked in and give them a chance not only to win the President's Trophy, but a Stanley Cup.

No matter what happens, Oettinger will always have the memory of his boyhood idol singing his praises.

"I'm a big fan of your game," Lundqvist told Oettinger as the TNT interview came to a close. "Keep up the great work. Really enjoy watching you play and good luck down the stretch here."

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