Jake Oettinger’s night and season ended just over seven minutes into Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. The Dallas Stars goaltender allowed goals on the first two shots from the Edmonton Oilers and was pulled from the game by head coach Pete DeBoer.
Edmonton went on to win 6-3, clinching the series 4-1 and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.
The move sparked immediate reaction, not just from fans and analysts, but from within the Stars’ own locker room.
Why Did Pete DeBoer Pull Jake Oettinger So Early?
“We gotta step up. It’s unacceptable for us to hang him out like that,” forward Jason Robertson said postgame. “Whole playoffs he’s been our guy, the whole season. Just unacceptable from us.”
Robertson, who scored twice in the loss, didn’t mince words. His frustration was clear and it wasn’t directed at Oettinger, who many felt was left out to dry by his teammates.
The quick hook came after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored on a power play just 2:13 into the game, followed by Connor Brown’s breakaway goal at 7:09. Both goals came on defensive breakdowns that left Oettinger exposed.
The Stars pulled Jake Oettinger 👀 pic.twitter.com/JzAn4W05HG
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 30, 2025
The 26-year-old netminder had posted a .915 save percentage during the regular season and carried Dallas through the first two playoff rounds with stellar play against Colorado and Winnipeg.
Oettinger’s early exit marked a low point in a tough series. He gave up 16 goals over five games, finishing with a .853 save percentage. While the blame was spread, DeBoer didn’t shy away from pointing to his goalie’s past struggles against the Oilers.
“If you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton,” DeBoer said. “And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game…That’s a pretty big sample size.”
Still, it was a bold decision, especially in a do-or-die scenario.
What Was the Impact of DeBoer’s Controversial Decision?
Oettinger was replaced by backup Casey DeSmith at 7:09 in the first period. The timing was jarring. The Stars were already trailing, but pulling the starter so early in a high-stakes game sent shockwaves across the NHL community.
DeBoer claimed the move was designed to “spark the group,” but it didn’t work. Less than a minute later, Edmonton scored again, this time on DeSmith. The Stars never recovered. DeSmith, who had played just 11 games during the regular season for Dallas after being acquired from Vancouver, finished with 19 saves on 23 shots in relief.
The decision drew comparisons to other controversial goalie pulls in playoff history. Patrick Roy famously refused to return after being pulled in a 1995 regular season game, leading to his trade from Montreal. In the playoffs, such early hooks are even rarer, making DeBoer’s decision all the more shocking.
Oettinger didn’t have much help. One goal came on the power play, the other on a breakaway. Teammates like Mikko Rantanen acknowledged their part in the collapse.
“We were not ready,” Rantanen said. “We were not helping Jake at all on the first two goals. That’s on us.”
Despite the critique from his coach, Oettinger has been a core piece of Dallas’ success. He carried the team through the first two rounds of the playoffs with strong performances against the Avalanche and Jets. But against Edmonton, like last year, things unraveled.
The numbers tell a stark story of Dallas’ offensive drought. The Stars managed just 13 goals in five games against Edmonton, with their top line of Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Joe Pavelski combining for only six points in the series. Tyler Seguin, once a consistent 30-goal scorer, went pointless in the final three games.
Offensively, the Stars offered little support. Several key players, including Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, went quiet in the series. Dallas allowed the first goal in every game and was outscored 24-13 over five contests.
This marks the third straight season the Stars have fallen in the Western Conference Final. Oettinger has been in net each time. The franchise hasn’t reached the Stanley Cup Final since 2020, when they lost to Tampa Bay in the Edmonton bubble.
DeBoer, now under scrutiny for his decisions, maintained that change was necessary.
“It was partly to wake the team up and partly because the status quo wasn’t working,” he said.
As the Stars head into another long offseason, the future of Jake Oettinger and Pete DeBoer will be closely watched. For now, the sting of another near-miss is all too familiar in Dallas.
