Stars goalie Oettinger surprised, embarrassed by pull in West final that DeBoer is still explaining
Associated Press
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said Saturday that he was surprised and embarrassed when he got pulled from Game 5 of the Western Conference final after giving up two goals on the only two shots he faced, and coach Pete DeBoer was still facing questions about that decision two days after the season-ending loss to Edmonton.
'No one's a bigger fan of Jake Oettinger than me, as a person or a goalie,' DeBoer said. 'There's one motive, and that's how do we survive this and get it to a Game 6. And I have to live with those consequences. If it works, great, we're in Edmonton tonight and you guys are telling me how awesome a move it was. And when it doesn't, I've got to stand up here and do this, and I understand."
Instead of a Game 6 in Edmonton on Saturday, the Stars had their season-ending availability in North Texas.
Oettinger was pulled only 7:09 into Game 5 at home Thursday night after Mattias Janmark's goal put Edmonton up 2-0. The Oilers scored again less than a minute after Casey DeSmith took over on the way to a 6-3 win that set up a Stanley Cup Final rematch against Florida, though Dallas got within 4-3 a minute into the third period.
'The reality is if I make one or two of those saves, then I'm still playing in the game,' Oettinger said in his first public comments since. 'The way I'm looking at it is, how can I get better from that? How can I can make those saves that I made all playoffs?"
The 26-year-old goalie has been to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons and won six postseason series. That stretch began in 2022, when Dallas took top-seeded Calgary to a Game 7, and Oettinger had 64 saves before Johnny Gaudreau's OT goal ended the first-round series.
Oettinger had a .905 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average while facing 503 shots in 18 games this postseason, by far the most of any goalie. Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky, in one fewer game, has faced 408 shots and the next-highest total is 292. Oettinger had a .909 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 58 regular-season games.
When DeBoer was asked Saturday about his conversations with Oettinger since the season ended, the coach said they hadn't had the opportunity yet to have one.
Oettinger was later asked if he had any concerns about their relationship, and he responded by saying the whole experience is something he would learn from and that was going to help him grow to be a better person and goalie.
'My job is to stop the puck. And I feel like I'm one of the best in the world when I'm playing well doing that. So that's all I'm in a focus on,' Oettinger said. 'All the extra stuff is just extra stuff to me. ... If I go out there next year and I'm the best goalie in the world, it doesn't matter. One of you guys could be coaching, it doesn't matter. Just try to be the best I can be, learn from the experience.'
It was the third season in a row the Stars lost in the West final, and Edmonton also knocked them out last year. The Oilers finished the 2024 series with three wins in a row, and this time won the last four after Dallas won the opener.
DeBoer said there had been discussions among the coaching staff before Game 4 at Edmonton about whether Oettinger maybe needed a break, and that the goalie had dealt with some upper respiratory issues during the series. While that didn't happen then, it was at least part of the quick in-game switch on Thursday, along with the recent playoff record against the Oilers.
'When you're in that moment, you're making that decision, what's going through my mind is, you know, we need to stop the bleeding here. Our team looked tentative. We're down 2-0,' DeBoer said. 'In the back of your mind, you know, is he a little bit fatigued, he's been through a lot. He's carried us through two rounds, is he going to be a better goalie in Game 6 and 7 for us fresh.'
Oettinger said he felt great physically — 'as healthy as I've ever felt' — and felt like he could have played 40 more games. But he did acknowledge the potential mental grind of another long season.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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