Dallas Stars Coach Glen Gulutzan will likely start Richard Bachman in goal at Madison Square Garden against the 17-6-4 New York Rangers Tuesday night.
The backup backup goalie, Bachman, is reported to be calm, cool, and collected in net, which he had to be with the LA Kings offense barreling down on him in his first start in the NHL. Backup backup he might be listed on paper, in the net, he did the job with 26 saves in his first NHL start and victory again the Kings.
He’s got zen.
Jamie Benn said of Bachman, ““He looked pretty calm back there for his first real start. He’s a hell of a goalie, he’s really calm, played a great game and got a big two points for us. He prepared well tonight and played a great game.”
How did Bachman get in goal?
One could almost predict that this season, Kari Lehtonen would get injured after his history with injuries with previous teams. However, it isn’t too often that the backup goalie gets pulled so early in the season. Andrew Raycroft had been starting in net for the absent Lehtonen, but after giving up five goals in the first two periods against LA on December 11, 2011, Gulutzan pulled Raycroft and replaced him with Bachman where he got four saves in a little over nine minutes.
It doesn’t hurt that Gulutzan knows Bachman, and knows him well. He coached him with the Texas Stars last year.
“I’ve had Bacher for a year and he’s a competitive guy and he’s pretty clean when it comes to rebounds and I thought he had a real good start for us,” said Dallas Stars Head Coach Glen Gulutzan. “He’s developing quick. Our guys are impressed with the way he’s played and practiced and so are the coaches. We have confidence in him. He’s a good goaltender.”
He isn’t new to the Stars system. Bachman worked with the Dallas Stars in the 20 Training Camp, but was cut and sent to the Texas Stars on October 2, 2011.
Bachman was the Stars’ fourth-round selection (120th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. In 2009-10, he shared the season with the Stars’ ECHL Steeheads affiliate in Idaho and their AHL affiliate, Texas Stars in Austin. Before that, Bachman attended Cushing Academy for three years then spent 2006-07 in the USHL.
In Idaho, Bachman had a 22-7-4 with a 2.28 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. With Bachman, the Steelheads advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals with a 6- playoff record and a 1.59 GAA and .043 SP.
In Austin, as the backup goalie for the injured Brent Krahn, Bachman had a 28-19-5 record with 2.20 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage and six shutouts in 55 games.
At first, Gulutzan said the 24-year-old Bachman might start in one of the next three games, but now it’s a done deal. Mike Heika reported in the Dallas Morning News today that Glen Gulutzan will start Bachman in goal Tuesday night against the NY Rangers.
"Bacher is going to go tomorrow," Gulutzan said. "It's an opportunity for him to showcase himself with us. It's an opportunity to solidify him in our plans and what we're doing. We have to evaluate him, just like we are Lars (Philip Larsen ), Vinny (Tomas Vincour) and all these guys that are coming up. We want to see where they stand. It's a good opportunity for him to showcase himself."
The internet is a-buzz with the news of Bachman’s starting against the Rangers. Bachman isn’t your average goalie. He wasn’t on the fast-track, but he worked his way up nonetheless. He’s not a big guy, as many of today’s goalies are taller than the net when they squat, but he gets the job done at 5’ 10” and 175 lbs.
How will Bachman fair in his 2nd ever start in the NHL?
Coach Gulutzan said, “We have confidence in him. He played 60 games for me last year, so we have no problem putting him in. I think his play has earned it.”
Maybe they should have sent Raycroft to Austin instead of Bachman after preseason. Either way, Bachman’s got his start now and he’s using his goalie zen to help the Dallas Stars win games.
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