The Dallas Stars’ season ended in stunning fashion Thursday night when head coach Peter DeBoer pulled star goalie Jake Oettinger just seven minutes into Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.
It was a move that backfired badly. The Stars lost 6-3 to Edmonton, with backup Casey DeSmith giving up three goals after replacing Oettinger.
But what happened after the game was even more surprising.
DeBoer seemed to point the finger directly at his young goalie, making comments that raised eyebrows across the hockey world.
“I didn’t blame it all on Jake,” DeBoer said. Then he did exactly that: “If you go back to last year’s playoffs he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton. We gave up two goals on two shots in an elimination game.”
The coach’s harsh words didn’t sit well with many hockey fans and analysts. After all, Oettinger has been one of the NHL’s brightest young goalies.
This isn’t the first time DeBoer has had drama with his netminders. In Vegas, he sparked controversy by benching Marc-Andre Fleury for Robin Lehner – a move that led to Fleury’s agent posting a viral photo showing his client stabbed in the back with DeBoer’s name on the blade.
Here’s the thing about blaming goalies: DeBoer might want to look in the mirror first.
He’s now lost six conference finals with three different teams (San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars) and four different starting goalies. He’s also come up short in two Stanley Cup Finals with the New Jersey Devils and Sharks.
The Oilers were clearly the better team in this series. They’ve got a real shot at winning it all this year.
But in an elimination game, you usually want your best goalie between the pipes. DeBoer didn’t give his team that chance.
