The Dallas Stars’ season is over after a disappointing 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday evening. This is the second consecutive campaign in which the Oilers have ended the Stars’ season in the Western Conference Final.
Going by the media interactions post-game, it seems like there could be a major rift brewing between Stars head coach Pete DeBoer and goaltender Jake Oettinger, whom he pulled after Oettinger allowed two goals on two shots in less than eight minutes of play.
DeBoer Pulls Stars’ Jake Oettinger After He Allows Two Goals On As Many Shots
Oettinger allowed a power-play goal to former Stars forward Corey Perry early in the game on Edmonton’s first shot, followed by a breakaway goal from another former Dallas Star, Mattias Janmark, on Edmonton’s next shot.
DeBoer seemed incensed and motioned to Oettinger to come to the bench, while he then told backup Casey DeSmith that he was going into the game. DeSmith subsequently allowed another quick goal to the Oilers and would surrender a breakaway tally from Connor McDavid in the second period as part of the 5-3 defeat. Oettinger could only look on from the bench, wearing his Stars baseball cap.
“We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with a lead, and obviously we were in a 2-0 hole right away,” DeBoer said. “I didn’t take that lightly and I didn’t blame it all on Jake, but the reality is, if you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton. And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game.”
“So it was partly to spark our team and wake them up,” the Stars’ coach said. “And partly knowing that status quo had not been working, and that’s a pretty big sample size.”
However, Oettinger’s teammates came to his defense. “It’s unacceptable for us to hang him out like that,” Jason Robertson said of Oettinger. “The whole playoffs, he’s been our guy, the whole season. Just unacceptable from us.”
Oettinger signed an eight-year contract extension with the Stars in October, meaning that he won’t be going anywhere. However, following yet another loss in the Conference Final, one has to wonder if Dallas general manager Jim Nill could be considering a change behind the bench.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether DeBoer’s harsh assessment of Oettinger’s play and the decision to pull him from the game so early will affect their professional relationship with each another.
