Jake Oettinger to 'learn' from benching in Stars' final game - ESPN

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said Saturday that he was surprised and embarrassed when he was pulled from Game 5 of the Western Conference finals after giving up two goals on the only two shots he faced, and coach Peter DeBoer was still facing questions about that decision two days after the season-ending loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

«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 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