Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer addressed the controversial decision to pull starting goaltender Jake Oettinger early in their Game 5 loss. His post-game comments, following the season-ending defeat, were notably candid regarding his netminder`s performance.
DeBoer explained his reasoning: “I wasn`t solely blaming Jake, but considering last year`s playoffs, he`s struggled against Edmonton, losing six out of seven games. Furthermore, in a critical elimination game, we allowed two goals on the first two shots.”
He added that the move was intended “partly to jolt our team and motivate them. It was also based on the clear pattern that the status quo wasn`t effective, supported by a significant sample size of games.”
This blunt assessment led DeBoer to replace Oettinger with backup Casey DeSmith just over seven minutes into Thursday`s decisive contest, immediately after Oettinger surrendered two goals on only two shots faced from the Edmonton Oilers.
