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Kari Lehtonen | Goalie

Team: Dallas Stars
Age / DOB:  (29) / 11/16/1983
Ht / Wt:  6'4' / 215
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

Kari Lehtonen has declined an invitation to play for Finland in the IIHF World Championships.
Lehtonen has a newborn son and he would rather spend time with his family. "I want to take some time off and be a dad," Lehtonen said. "That’s exciting. I can start a little earlier to work out and skate and I should be good to go." Lehtonen added that he didn't live up to his own expectations this season. He finished with a 2.66 GAA and .916 save percentage in 36 games. May 2 - 9:22 AM

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Date:

Kari Lehtonen gave up three goals on 35 shots Thursday as the Stars fell to Columbus by a score of 3-1.

Lehtonen has dealt with injuries all year, but has been solid when healthy. Now that the Stars playoff hopes have been dashed, there's a chance the Finnish netminder gets the final night of the season off.
Apr 26 - 1:22 AM

Kari Lehtonen kicked out 34 of 37 shots in a 3-2 loss Tuesday night.

Lehtonen surrendered two goals in the span of roughly 30 seconds in the third period. Unfortunately that's all-but killed the Dallas Stars' chances of making the postseason. They are now three points behind the eighth place Columbus Blue Jackets with only two games remaining in their schedule.
Apr 24 - 1:05 AM

It looks like Kari Lehtonen will be the starting goalie against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.

The Stars' season is over but Lehtonen had been playing well before allowing four goals Sunday against the Kings. The problem is Lehtonen's playing behind a team that's basically playing out the string, which makes it difficult for him to win most nights. Still, you could do much worse in net for the season's final week.
Apr 23 - 5:05 PM

Kari Lehtonen allowed four goals on 31 shots Sunday as the Stars lost a 4-3 overtime contest to Los Angeles.

The Stars are simply playing out the string at this point so it's dangerous to draw any significant conclusions. What's more important is the fact Lehtonen has played quite well when he's been healthy over the course of the season.
Apr 21 - 11:57 PM

Kari Lehtonen stopped 18 of 20 shots in Dallas' 2-1 loss to St. Louis in NHL action Friday night.

It was Lehtonen's 12th loss of the season and worsened his record to 15-12-2.
Apr 20 - 12:28 AM

Look for Kari Lehtonen to start on Friday.

Lehtonen returned from a groin injury on Thursday and evidently the Stars have no interest in easing him back into the lineup. That's not surprising, given that they are in a fierce competition for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Stars will take on the St. Louis Blues on Friday.
Apr 19 - 5:39 PM

Kari Lehtonen made 38 saves in a 5-1 win over Vancouver Thursday as he returned to the lineup after missing time with a groin injury.

His health status has been his real bugaboo this season, as Lehtonen's statistics are just fine. Because of his inability to remain upright he's a second-tier netminder for fantasy purposes.
Apr 18 - 11:42 PM

Kari Lehtonen will be back between the pipes for Dallas on Thursday night.

His teammates are happy to get him back from his groin injury as they are four points back of Columbus for the final playoff spot in the West. "Kari has been our MVP so far this year, in my mind," said defenseman Stephane Robidas. "He's been very good. He's won some games for us. When you get a goalie like that back in the net, for sure you get a little boost." Lehtonen owns a 14-11-2 record with a .916 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA.
Apr 18 - 4:49 PM

Kari Lehtonen has declared himself fit to return from his groin injury.

He was a full participant in Wednesday's practice and is anxious to get back in the Stars' cage with the team in the thick of the playoff race. "I played a lot of games there in a row. Hopefully it was good to get a little time off," said Lehtonen, who played 19 straight contests prior to getting hurt. "We have a few games left and I am even more excited now to play. We're in a good spot and trying to climb into the playoffs." Look for him to start Thursday.
Apr 17 - 5:34 PM

Kari Lehtonen is still day-to-day with a groin injury.

Richard Bachman has been terrific in Lehtonen's absence as the Stars, after giving up at the trade deadline, are now in ninth place just two points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand over the eighth place Red Wings. Consider Lehtonen day-to-day and do not be afraid to put Bachman in your fantasy lineup as he has allowed only three goals in 82 shots in his last three games, all wins. Lehtonen is expected to participate in the morning skate on Monday and a decision will be made at that time as to whether or not he will play Monday night against the Blackhawks.
Apr 15 - 8:45 AM

Kari Lehtonen (groin) didn't dress for the Stars' game Saturday night.

"He skated this morning and still didn’t feel he was ready to go and Zeis didn’t feel he was ready to go," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. "He is still day-to-day." Zeis is a trainer. Gulutzan is optimistic about Lehtonen's chances of being available for Monday's game.
Apr 14 - 9:28 AM

Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen likely will rest his sore groin and not be in the lineup when the Dallas Stars play the San Jose Sharks tonight.

Cristopher Nilstorp backed up starter Richard Bachman in the Dallas net Friday night against the Predators."I was hoping I would feel a lot better than I did (Friday)," Lehtonen said, "but it’s going in the right direction." When asked if that was an indication that he would probably not be ready to go against San Jose at home Saturday at American Airlines Center, Lehtonen said: "We’ll just see how it goes tomorrow morning. It’s a tough situation." Lehtonen on Tuesday left the Stars’ 5-1 win over Los Angeles after 14 minutes with a sore groin. He missed five games earlier in the season with a groin injury.
Apr 13 - 10:59 AM

Stars coach Glen Gukutzan confirmed that Kari Lehtonen sustained a lower body injury on Tuesday.

Lehtonen left the contest in the first period as a result. The good news is that the ailment is "mild," according to Gukutzan. The Stars will reassess it on Wednesday.
Apr 10 - 9:58 AM

Kari Lehtonen was forced to leave Tuesday’s game against the Kings after suffering a lower body injury near the end of the first period.

There is no word yet on the extent of Lehtonen’s injury, but stay tuned for updates as we learn more. Backup goaltender Richard Bachman replaced Lehtonen, and was huge, stopping all 22 shots he faced.
Apr 9 - 11:54 PM

Depth Charts

All Positions
PosRoleName
C1Jamie Benn
2Cody Eakin
3Vernon Fiddler
4Tom Wandell
5Ryan Garbutt
LW1Ray Whitney
2Eric Nystrom
3Antoine Roussel
4Matt Fraser
5Lane MacDermid
RW1Loui Eriksson
2Erik Cole
3Alex Chiasson
4Reilly Smith
D1Alex Goligoski
2Stephane Robidas
3Trevor Daley
4Aaron Rome
5Philip Larsen
6Jordie Benn
7Brenden Dillon
G1Kari Lehtonen
2Richard Bachman