Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer made a controversial decision just over eight minutes into Thursday night`s 6-3 elimination game loss to the Edmonton Oilers, removing starting goaltender Jake Oettinger from the net. This move, early in a crucial game with the team`s season on the line, immediately sparked debate and questions.
Throughout these playoffs, the Stars struggled to play from a leading position, frequently conceding the first goal – 15 times in 18 games. Game 5 on Thursday was particularly poor, with the Oilers scoring on their first two shots.
While Oettinger wasn`t solely responsible for the early goals, DeBoer opted to replace his starting netminder with backup Casey DeSmith. DeBoer later explained his rationale, stating his primary goal was to try and energize the team, but he also cited concerns about Oettinger`s past performance against the Oilers in the playoffs.
“Anytime you pull a goalie,” DeBoer commented after the game, “the reasoning is always to try and spark your group, so that was the No. 1 reason.” He elaborated on the team`s struggles to play with a lead and falling into an immediate 2-0 deficit. DeBoer emphasized that he didn`t hold Oettinger entirely responsible but felt a change was necessary given the scoreline in an elimination game and the goalie`s recent history against the Oilers, where he had lost six of the last seven matchups. He concluded that the decision was aimed at waking the team up and acknowledging that the current situation wasn`t working.
DeSmith entered the game and shortly after conceded a third goal from a seemingly soft shot by Jeff Skinner. While DeSmith allowed two more goals later (a skillful shot by Connor McDavid and an unlucky deflection), these were less attributable to him.
Despite DeBoer`s post-game explanation, many Stars fans are left questioning the decision and speculating on how the game might have unfolded differently if Oettinger had been allowed to stay in net.
Would Oettinger have stopped Skinner`s soft goal? Could he have made a crucial save on McDavid or reacted quicker to the unfortunate deflection? These `what if` scenarios linger.
While DeBoer referred to a seven-game history against the Oilers, critics might point to Oettinger`s much larger body of work. Over the past three seasons and 174 games, Oettinger ranks highly in the NHL for goals saved above average, demonstrating consistent performance over a significant sample size.
The article argues that regardless of his recent struggles against one team, Oettinger is the goalie the Stars rely on and pay handsomely to win critical games. He perhaps deserved the opportunity to recover from the initial shaky start rather than being immediately pulled.
This postseason, even including the difficult Game 5, Oettinger`s overall performance shows he`s been a net positive for the team in terms of goals saved above average. The piece concludes that Dallas wouldn`t have reached this point without him and suggests the team`s need for a spark predated Game 5. Removing Oettinger wasn`t the solution; the coach should have trusted his primary goalie to battle through, but instead, the team`s season ended with Oettinger watching from the bench.
Torin Vale 
Elton Marrow