Jake Oettinger reflects on embarrassing playoff exit after being pulled vs Vegas

Jake Oettinger’s playoff exit wasn’t pretty. The Dallas Stars’ young goalie got pulled just 7 minutes into Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers after giving up two quick goals. It was a tough way to end what had been a promising season.

“It sucks. It’s embarrassing,” Oettinger said during Saturday’s end-of-season media session. “Any time you get pulled, doesn’t matter if it’s playoffs or regular season, you just wanna go right off the ice, go into your bed, and not talk to anyone.”

The Stars lost 6-3, with backup Casey DeSmith allowing three more goals after taking over. It was Dallas’s third straight elimination in the Western Conference Final.

There were signs of trouble before the game. Head coach Pete DeBoer had mentioned giving Oettinger a break, noting he’d played more minutes than any NHL goalie this season. There were also concerns about an upper-respiratory issue.

But both coach and player insist there’s no bad blood.

“No one is a bigger fan of Jake Oettinger than me, as a person or a goalie,” DeBoer said, though he admitted they haven’t spoken since Thursday’s game.

Oettinger’s taking it as a learning experience. “If I go out there next year and I’m the best goalie in the world, [this situation] doesn’t matter,” he said. “One of you guys could be coaching and it doesn’t matter. Just try to be the best I can be.”

The numbers weren’t kind to Oettinger in the series. He posted a .853 save percentage against the Oilers – well below his usual standards.

What made things really tough was how often Dallas played from behind. They fell behind in 15 of their 18 playoff games. That’s probably why DeBoer had such a quick hook in Game 5, even though neither early goal was really Oettinger’s fault.

The 24-year-old had actually played well in Game 4, stopping 29 of 31 shots. But with Dallas’s offense managing just one goal or less in three straight games, the pressure on their young goalie was immense.