The Anaheim Ducks were expected to be better this season with Joel Quenneville as their head coach. Quenneville has an outstanding hockey resume that includes three Stanley Cup titles with the Chicago Blackhawks. Anaheim also is doing well offensively as Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry and Cutter Gauthier have all eclipsed double digits in points after 11 games.
Another reason why the Ducks are doing great has been because of the goaltending of Lukas Dostal of Brno, Czech Republic. On Monday, Dostal was named the NHL First Star of the Week for the week from October 27 to November 3.
Dostal’s statistics for the week
Dostal had a record of three wins and zero losses with a goals against average of 1.63 and a save percentage of .948. In Dostal’s first game of the week, he made 31 saves on 33 shots in a 3-2 Ducks win over the Florida Panthers. Despite the fact the Panthers have an immense number of injuries at the moment, for Dostal to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions should boost his confidence going forward.
Dostal’s second win of the week came on Halloween night in a 5-2 Ducks win over the Detroit Red Wings. Dostal had 28 saves on 30 shots. Dostal’s third win of the week came on Sunday in a 4-1 Ducks win over the New Jersey Devils. He had 32 saves on 33 shots. It should be noted that Dostal was named the NHL First Star of the Week despite the fact that he did not record a shutout. That is rather rare for a goaltender.
Dostal’s 2025-26 NHL season
Dostal has a record of five wins, three regulation losses and one loss in extra time. He has a goals against average of 2.55 and a save percentage of .916.
Emerging as the Ducks no. 1 for a while
The fact that the Ducks traded John Gibson to the Red Wings in the offseason was not a huge surprise. That is because Dostal has emerged as the Ducks’s best goalie since 2023. In the last three seasons, Dostal has two shutouts. He blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on March 21, 2024, and the San Jose Sharks 2-0 on October 12, 2024.
Where are the Ducks in the standings?
Anaheim is in second place in the Pacific Division with a record of seven wins, three regulation losses and one loss in extra time for 15 points. They have one less point than the first place Seattle Kraken.
