The Dallas Stars faced elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers. Goaltender Jake Oettinger`s night started poorly, surrendering two goals on the first two shots he faced. This led Stars coach Pete DeBoer to make the difficult decision to pull Oettinger just 7:09 into the game, inserting backup Casey DeSmith.
DeSmith played the remainder of the contest, allowing three goals on 20 shots. The Stars ultimately lost Game 5 by a score of 6-3, resulting in their elimination from the playoffs. This marked the third consecutive season that Dallas`s playoff run ended in the Western Conference Final.
Oettinger spoke about being removed from the game during the Stars` season-ending media availability on Saturday. “It sucks. It`s embarrassing,” Oettinger admitted. “Any time you get pulled, playoff game or regular season, you just want to get off the ice immediately, go to bed, and not speak to anyone.”
Prior to Game 4, Coach DeBoer had mentioned that the team`s coaching staff had considered giving Oettinger a rest. He cited Oettinger`s league-leading minutes played among goaltenders and a potential “upper-respiratory issue” as reasons for the consideration.
However, both DeBoer and Oettinger downplayed any notion of a conflict between them. DeBoer stated, “No one is a bigger fan of Jake Oettinger than me, as a person or a goalie,” though he noted they hadn`t had a chance to speak since Game 5 on Thursday.
Oettinger emphasized learning from the experience. “For me, it`s just the whole experience, just have to learn from it,” he said. “It`s going to help me grow and be a better person, be a better goalie. My job is to stop the puck. I feel like I`m one of the best in the world when I am playing well at doing that. That`s all I`m going to focus on. The extra stuff is just extra stuff to me… I`ll just try to be the best I can be and learn from the experience.”
Oettinger did face challenges throughout the Western Conference Final series. Over five games against the Oilers, he finished with a 3.20 goals-against-average and a .853 save percentage, statistics below his usual performance level.
The Stars frequently played from behind in the playoffs, trailing in 15 of their 18 games. This pattern might have contributed to DeBoer`s decision to make an early change in net. However, the two early goals in Game 5 weren`t entirely Oettinger`s fault; the second one came on a clean breakaway by Mattias Janmark.
Leading up to Game 5, Oettinger had delivered a strong performance in Game 4, allowing only two goals on 31 shots. The Stars` offense struggled significantly in the series, scoring only one goal or less for the third consecutive game, which put them in the difficult 3-1 series hole entering Game 5.
Torin Vale 
Elton Marrow