Stars pull goalie Oettinger after Oilers score on 1st 2 shots in Game 5 of West final
Edmonton Oilers center Mattias Janmark (13) scores against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during the first period of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
DALLAS (AP) — Stars starting goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled after giving up two goals on the only two shots he faced in the first 7:09 of a must-win Game 5 for Dallas in the Western Conference final against Edmonton on Thursday night.
The Stars called a timeout after Mattias Janmark's short wrister that went under Oettinger's legs to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead. Casey DeSmith took over in net after not playing since April 26.
Advertisement
Edmonton, which went into the game with a 3-1 series lead and trying to knock Dallas out in the West final for the second year in a row, got its first goal when 40-year-old Corey Perry scored on a power play only 2:31 into the game.
Less than a minute after DeSmith came into the game, Jeff Skinner scored his first career playoff goal to put the Oilers up 3-0.
Oettinger was 9-8 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.72 goals-against-average in the first 17 games this postseason. This was already the fourth consecutive postseason for the 26-year-old Oettinger, who has won six playoff series.
DeSmith's only playoff action had been in the third period of Game 4 in the first round against Colorado. He stopped 13 of 14 shots in Dallas' 4-0 loss.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Can Small-Market NBA Finals Teams Punch Above Their Weight in the Ratings?
In the world of TV markets and sports ratings, the expression 'Bigger is better' usually applies. Yet after a pretty thrilling round of playoffs, the NBA Finals — a showdown between teams representing two of the smallest cities in the league — will put that assumption to the test. Tipping off Thursday, the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder both bring young superstars to the party, including recently anointed league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But they also hail from Indianapolis and Oklahoma City, which rank No. 25 and 47, respectively, out of the more than 200 individually measured designated market areas (or DMAs) in the U.S., placing them among the bottom seven of the NBA's 30 teams. (Top-ranked New York, whose Knicks were just bounced from the playoffs, boasts a pair of franchises, as does No. 2 market Los Angeles.) Historically, major sporting events benefit from having larger-market teams squaring off, cashing in on the rooting interest in the home cities to boost the most recent examples, last year's World Series, pitting the New York Yankees against the L.A. Dodgers, delivered an average 15.8 million viewers, per Nielsen, Major League Baseball's most-watched Fall Classic since 2017, despite running only five games. That marked a 67% increase over 2023, the lowest-rated World Series ever, in which the Texas Rangers (considered part of the No. 4 Dallas-Fort Worth DMA) defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks (a.k.a. Phoenix, No. 12). Last year's NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics edging the Dallas Mavericks, averaged 11.3 million viewers on ABC/ESPN, the league's worst performance since 2021. After a slow start, though, the NBA rebounded thanks to a slew of midseason trades, finishing just below overall regular-season results for the previous year. So are there any potential rays of hope for this year's matchup? one equalizer for any sports championship determined by a series (in the NBA and MLB's cases, a best-of-seven format) is for the contests to be competitive, with the series coming down to a Game 7 to determine the winner. Heading into the Finals, the playoffs have also put up solid results, up 3% overall, although that comes with a disclaimer: The Eastern Conference finals, featuring the Knicks, were up 10%, while the Western Conference (Oklahoma City vs. Minnesota) declined. Beyond the NBA and its TV partners (a roster that will shift, incidentally, with NBC taking a major package of games next season), several other entertainment players have a vested interest in the series, given that the NBA playoffs provide a platform to reach male viewers, especially, promoting blockbusters like 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' and 'Superman' heading into the summer movie season. Obviously, the interested parties can't make the host cities any bigger, but they can root for the series to be longer — and decided in the closing moments — in a way that might help a size-challenged Finals, to borrow from another sport, punch above its weight. Netflix's campy five-episode series 'Sirens' maintained its spot as Netflix's most-watched English-language show of the week with 18.2 million views during the week of May 26, up 9% from the 16.7 million it logged in its first four days on the platform last week. Meanwhile, buzzy U.K. crime series 'Adolescence,' which first debuted in March, finally surpassed 'Stranger Things 4' on Netflix's all-time most-popular TV English-language list, with 'Adolescence' standing in the No. 2 spot with 141.2 million views to date — behind just 'Wednesday' — while 'Stranger Things 4' ranks third with 140.7 million views. It's worth noting that viewers for 'Stranger Things 4' are likely to surge again ahead of the new season of 'Stranger Things' releasing this fall, as could views for 'Adolescence' given its potential Emmys buzz. The 2025 American Music Awards tacked on a considerable amount of delayed viewers to its original May 26 telecast, growing to reach over 10 million unique viewers across its CBS premiere, as well as encores on MTV, CMT and BET. After bringing in an initial live-plus-same-day viewership of 4.86 million, the Jennifer Lopez-hosted awards scored 5.2 million viewers after seven days of viewing, ranking as the show's biggest audience since 2019 and a 38% uptick from its last live telecast in 2022. Monday's finale of 'La Casa de los Famosos All-Stars' boosted Telemundo to rank as the most-watched primetime broadcast network, regardless of language, in the key demo among adults 18-49 as the network scored 559,000 viewers in that age bracket, according to Nielsen. The news comes as Telemundo celebrates its 14th consecutive week as the No. 1 most-watched Spanish-language broadcast network in weekday primetime among total viewers, as well as its third consecutive week winning the 18-49 demo. The post Can Small-Market NBA Finals Teams Punch Above Their Weight in the Ratings? appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Mark Daigneault, OKC Thunder are managing another lengthy break during NBA Playoffs
Here they are again, waiting a week to try their hand at fate. No one has grown more accustomed to this gnawing period between series quite like the Oklahoma City Thunder. Three times this postseason this crew has had roughly a week before its next series began. This time feels different, though. Advertisement This is not the week it spent spinning in a swivel chair, waiting for which play-in opponent it would drop into the guillotine. These aren't quite like the days spent before the date with Denver. Since then, the Thunder has been emancipated from most questions of experience through its win over the Nuggets, and validated by its five-game thrashing of the Timberwolves. This week, OKC can reflect on the hurdles that have it four wins away from an NBA title. Pre-order book on Thunder's run to NBA Finals More: Who should OKC Thunder want to play in NBA Finals? Pros and cons of facing Pacers, Knicks Thunder coach Mark Daigneault yells to players in the first quarter during Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Timberwolves at Paycom Center on May 28. 'The most exciting thing about it is less about what exactly they're doing on the court,' coach Mark Daigneault said of his star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams meeting the moment. 'It's really not much different from what they do. I mean, they're playing their game, but they're doing it on this stage, and every time you check those boxes and conquer those hurdles, so to speak, you get better and more confident or wiser if you fall short. So the experiences are what's best for all those guys.' Advertisement A year ago, this core drowned in ambition. It was the youngest No. 1 seed ever, a foul away from pushing the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks to a seventh game. But the well of confidence did not seem so full. Not when looking at the shots Williams and Holmgren passed on. When rewatching the way the team held up in crunch time situations. Things that've flipped this postseason. The inflection points are clear. A Game 4 win in Denver. A Game 7 win over the Nuggets that put them away. The Game 3 bludgeoning that the Thunder took from the Wolves, sniffing real urgency like smelling salts. The Game 4 win in Minnesota in a bout with videogame shotmaking, when the group's resilience was tested most. It might've been the Thunder's most prolific collective performance yet from its Big Three, with each of the trio making signature plays in a fourth quarter in which the Wolves dropped 41 points. That game helped them win the war. Advertisement 'That was an electric game that was going back and forth down the stretch, people making big plays on both ends,' Holmgren said of Game 4 of the West Finals. 'And it was really important for us to be able to do that and see what we can be in those moments. This year or going forward, we're going to be in situations like that again.' MUSSATTO: Thunder home-court advantage is real. Another reason why OKC is NBA Finals favorite. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) does a pushup after getting fouled during Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Credit Alex Caruso, a veteran and former champion who has inserted himself when necessary; he was as essential as any player not named SGA in the second round, doing everything from blowing up actions to denying Nikola Jokic. Or credit Isaiah Hartenstein, the bruiser last year's team never had, who's added lineup versatility and has set a tone physically. Advertisement Most of all, credit time. It gave Holmgren and Williams the chance to grow into themselves, which at the time of writing, seems like two potentially terrifying playoff performers at the premature ages of 23 & 24. There's a balance in emotions they've wedged themselves into, being able to be mature enough for these series yet carry boyish exuberance. 'You don't want to be so wise that you're overcautious,' Daigneault said Saturday. 'You don't want to be so confident that you're overconfident. You kind of have to hold those two things, the confidence and the urgency or the wisdom. You have to hold those things in balance.' The Thunder has time to do lots of thinking before Thursday's Game 1. Perhaps this squad will think about the games that launched it here. The situations it's conquered. It's not going into this week as blind as it thinks. During this layoff, the Thunder knows what it takes. Advertisement Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@ or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at More: OKC Thunder might be 'idiots' but strength is their youth entering 2025 NBA Finals All times are Central Time (CT) Game 1: Indiana/New York at OKC | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5 (ABC) Game 2: Indiana/New York at OKC | 7:00 p.m. Sunday, June 8 (ABC) Game 3: OKC at Indiana/New York | 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 (ABC) Game 4: OKC at Indiana/New York | 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13 (ABC) Game 5 (If necessary): Indiana/New York at OKC | 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 16 (ABC) Game 6 (If necessary): OKC at Indiana/New York | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19 (ABC) Game 7 (If necessary): Indiana/New York at OKC | 7 p.m. Sunday, June 22 (ABC) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder again managing lengthy break in action during NBA Playoffs
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Celebrate OKC Thunder's amazing season and run to NBA Finals with our commemorative book
The NBA's most valuable player — for the third time. The league's best regular-season record — for the first time. Western Conference champions and bound for the NBA Finals — for the second time. In the Oklahoma City Thunder's 17-year history, no season has proven more electric than 2024-25 — and an NBA championship could be just weeks away. Advertisement To celebrate this amazing ride — from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's brilliance to the young squad's dominance from October to June — The Oklahoman has been working on a commemorative hardcover coffee-table chronicling the season. It's called 'Thunder Up! SGA and OKC Take the NBA by Storm' and will feature exclusive photography and behind-the-scenes stories from The Oklahoman's award-winning sports team. Order our Thunder collector's book More: Thunder vs Timberwolves recap: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC dominate way to NBA Finals The Oklahoman has crafted a book about the Oklahoma City Thunder's amazing 2024-25 season. 'Thunder Up!' will capture every thunderous moment, from the 15-point victory over Denver in the season opener to dispatching Minnesota in five games to whatever unfolds in the final push to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Advertisement This 144-page, full-color premium collector's edition will preserve the magic of a season that shook the league, crafted by the men and women who covered it every day for the Loud City faithful. Order 'Thunder Up!' now for just $31.95 — a 20% discount off the $39.95 retail price, not including tax and shipping. Plus, you can receive a printable certificate for a Father's Day or graduation gift. Order at Own a piece of Thunder history today! 'Thunder Up!' is a must-have on every OKC fan's coffee table or bookshelf. Order our Thunder collector's book REQUIRED READING: Why Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' is the OKC Thunder's victory anthem at Paycom Center Advertisement Contact Gene Myers at gmyers@ Follow him on X @GeneMyers. After nearly a quarter-century as sports editor at the Detroit Free Press, Myers unretired to coordinate book and poster projects across the USA TODAY Network. Check out more books and page prints from the USA TODAY Network, including books by The Oklahoman on the Sooners' fourth consecutive NCAA softball championship and on 60 years of basketball championships at State Fair Arena and page prints of SGA winning his MVP award and Oklahoma's 2024 softball title. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Commemorate OKC Thunder's historic season with our collector's book
