Latest news with #Oettinger
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Stars goalie was benched, roasted by coach in season-ending loss to Oilers: ‘status quo … not working'
With their season hanging in the balance Thursday night at American Airlines Arena, the Dallas Stars tried to fend off Connor McDavid and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers without their No. 1 goalie on the ice. And, no, Jake Oettinger wasn't injured. The 26-year-old goalie, considered to be among the best in the NHL, was pulled by Stars coach Peter DeBoer and replaced by veteran backup Casey DeSmith just 7:09 into the first period of the must-win Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. With the Stars already trailing the best-of-7 series 3-1, things got bad quickly on home ice Thursday when they fell behind 2-0, with Oettinger allowing two goals on two shots to start the game. Advertisement DeBoer called for a timeout, blew a gasket yelling at his players, and then, maybe, blew any chance of coming back against the Oilers when he yanked his star — no pun intended — goaltender and replaced him with one who hadn't played in a month. The veteran coach stood behind his shocking decision after the Stars were eliminated with a 6-3 loss in Game 5. 'We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with a lead, and obviously we were in a 2-0 hole right away,' DeBoer explained. 'I didn't take that lightly and I didn't blame it all on Jake, but the reality is, if you go back to last year's playoffs, he's lost six of seven games to Edmonton. And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. So, it was partly to spark our team and wake them up. And partly knowing that status quo had not been working, and that's a pretty big sample size.' Advertisement Ouch. Coach and goalie have some serious fence-mending to do before training camp begins in September. If DeBoer had left it at that he was simply trying to spark the Stars with this bold move, well, OK. But to lay it out there and trash your goalie, who was pretty much your best player throughout the season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, that's something else. Oettinger didn't speak to the media postgame. But his teammates had his back. 'It's unacceptable for us to hang him out like that,' forward Jason Robertson said. 'The whole playoffs, he's been our guy, the whole season. Just unacceptable from us.' Advertisement Related: Panthers rally past Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5, return to Stanley Cup Final again: takeaways Stunning decision by Stars coach likely sealed their fate in West Final Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Slow starts were an issue all postseason for the Stars. They allowed the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoff games this spring, a stunning statistic when you consider that they still reached the conference final. Oettinger started each of those 18 games in goal, so he takes some blame for Dallas consistently falling behind. But, to be fair, his outstanding play was a major reason why the Stars were able to regroup and win so often after these poor starts. Advertisement And it wasn't all on the goalie by any means. Time and again, the Stars failed to start on time. Thursday was just the latest example. Rookie Mavrik Bourque took a mind-numbingly careless high-sticking penalty 1:47 into the game, and the Oilers converted for a power-play goal by Corey Perry, who was left wide open in front of Oettinger, 44 seconds later. The Stars defense broke down again at 7:09, allowing Mattias Janmark to get behind everyone, accept a Victor Arvidsson feed, break in all alone, and beat Oettinger through the pads for the Oilers second goal on as many shots. That's when DeBoer popped his cork and pulled his goalie. The move didn't pay off. DeSmith was all out of sorts allowing a Jeff Skinner goal less than a minute later at 8:07 and it was 3-0. Advertisement 'We were not ready,' forward Mikko Rantanen said. 'We were not helping Jake at all on the first two goals. That's on us and not on Jake.' Though the Stars showed some fight and twice battled back to within a goal, that three-goal deficit was impossible to completely erase. So, for the third straight season, they were eliminated in the Western Conference Final. As for DeBoer's postgame comments, he wasn't exactly wrong about Oettinger's numbers and record against the Oilers his past seven starts against them in the 2024 and 2025 conference finals. Last year, the Stars blew a 2-1 series lead and lost in six games to the Oilers. This year, they staged a wild rally to win Game 1 and then lost four straight. Advertisement As for Oettinger, he begins a lucrative eight-year, $66 million contract with an $8.25 million average annual value next season. He has 30+ wins in four straight seasons and will challenge Connor Hellebuyck to be the No. 1 goalie for the United States at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. So, he's not going anywhere. DeBoer? His future is less clear after this controversial decision and biting postgame commentary, despite leading three different teams to the conference finals in his past six seasons as an NHL coach.
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Jake Oettinger says 'I'm the best goalie in the world' after controversial Game 5 bench sparks Dallas Stars Playoff fallout
Oettinger stands tall amid Stars' Game 5 controversy (Image via: Getty Images) In a postseason filled with promise, the Dallas Stars' campaign came to a crashing halt, not at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers alone, but in part due to a decision that continues to stir debate across the hockey world. Goaltender Jake Oettinger, the team's rock through four straight playoff runs, was shockingly pulled just seven minutes into Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The fallout has been nothing short of explosive. The fallout of DeBoer's decision lingers in Dallas With the Stars trailing 2-0 after just two shots, head coach Peter DeBoer made what many now call the defining decision of the series. Oettinger, a workhorse who had faced more shots than any other goaltender this postseason, was yanked early in favor of backup Casey DeSmith. The move backfired immediately, Edmonton struck again less than a minute later and cruised to a 6-3 win, sending Dallas home. DeBoer stood by his call postgame, saying, 'There's one motive, and that's how do we survive this and get it to a Game 6?' But for fans and analysts alike, the logic rings hollow. Oettinger was not injured, fatigued, or struggling throughout the series. In fact, he later said he felt 'as healthy as I've ever felt' and admitted to being both 'surprised and embarrassed' by the early exit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The coach hinted at previous discussions about whether Oettinger needed rest due to illness earlier in the series, but ultimately, Game 5's decision was made in the heat of the moment. That moment, however, may haunt the franchise for years. While Oettinger remained composed in his response, emphasizing growth and accountability, the silence between coach and player after the loss speaks volumes. '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 bluntl. Also Read: Madeline Gaudreau turns heartbreak into fashion with the First Line apparel collection, a memorial clothing line for Matthew Gaudreau The Stars have now fallen in the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year. But this time, the sting isn't just from the loss, it's from the sense that Dallas may have benched its best chance at survival. As the dust settles, this wasn't just a coaching decision. It was a turning point and the fallout is far from over.
San Francisco Chronicle
31-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stars goalie Oettinger surprised, embarrassed by pull in West final that DeBoer is still explaining
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." 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.
Fox Sports
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
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: and recommended
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Stars goalie Oettinger surprised, embarrassed by pull in West final that DeBoer is still explaining
FRISCO, Texas — 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. NHL playoffs: /hub/stanley-cup and /hub/nhl
