The juxtaposition of Kari Lehtonen following his best playoff game ever with his worst seems oddly appropriate when you consider the Stars' goaltending situation.

You really don't know what you're going to get with this group.

Lehtonen has spent most of the summer in Texas and is working out in Frisco on a regular basis. He said he is in great shape and is ready to tackle this upcoming season with intensity and vigor. He is doing everything he can to make himself better and said that daily chore keeps him focused.

But ask Lehtonen what went wrong in his Game 7 meltdown against the St. Louis Blues, and he shrugs. He's thought about it all summer and doesn't have an answer.

"That's how goaltending is, and that's why you have to stay as even-keel as you can," he said. "That's why I'm not concentrating on that. I'm moving forward, and I feel good. That's all I can really tell you."

Lehtonen has studied the three goals he allowed on eight shots in the first period of Game 7. He knows he made mistakes and put his team in a big hole in a game it eventually lost 6-1. He knows the ramifications of that performance.

What he doesn't know is the why.

Why was he so good in stopping 35 shots in a 3-2 Game 6 win in St. Louis? What was the key to shutting things down when his team was outshot 14-2 in the third period? How did he hold onto a one-goal lead for the final 11 minutes?

And how did it unravel so quickly when he got back to American Airlines Center?

The easy answer is there was no pressure in Game 6. If the Stars lose, it was a valiant effort against a great team on the road. If Dallas exits in six games, it's a nice step forward in the process of becoming a legitimate contender.

But when Lehtonen won Game 6, the expectation was that he and his teammates should take Game 7 on home ice. In just two days, the pressure changed significantly.

Lehtonen said his preparation was good, he felt ready, and he didn't seem affected by the pressure. But he just didn't stop the puck.

That's where things get tough for fans, coaches - and teammates. If everyone is investing so much emotion in a season, they want to know how this gets fixed, they want to know what steps the veteran goalie is taking to improve.

"The mental part of the game is huge for goalies, so I work on that all of the time," Lehtonen said. "It's hard to explain. It's not something that is easy to describe or show what you do. But you talk about it and you think about it, and you hope that makes you better."

Stars general manager Jim Nill said experience is the best teacher. He said that while Lehtonen is 32, he still has only 18 postseason starts.

"Winning in the playoffs is a hard thing to do, and you really don't know how hard until you get there," Nill said. "We're all in the middle of the process, and we're all learning."

While there has been much talk about the Stars seeking to shake up their goaltending, Nill said he expects to go with Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Lehtonen is excited about the opportunity to stick with the goalie share program. He and Niemi each won 25 games last season, and while their numbers weren't fantastic (19th in GAA at 2.78 and 23rd in save percentage at .904), they were better than the 3.13 and .895 of the year before.

"I thought we were better, and I think we will be even more better this year," Lehtonen said. "I think we're more comfortable, and there's less unknown. It's more consistent."

And even a glimpse of consistency with the Stars goaltending situation has to be seen as a good sign.

Twitter: @MikeHeika

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