FRISCO — Two days after the Stars season ended in another exit in the Western Conference finals, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer and goalie Jake Oettinger still had not spoken.
The head coach benched his starting goalie just seven minutes into the 6-3 loss in Game 5 — and doubled down postgame by putting much of the responsibility for the Stars’ struggles against the Edmonton Oilers on Oettinger.
The lack of apology or conversation could come as a concern to some about the future of their relationship. Or, it may signal that neither saw the interaction as anything more than business.
“I moved Jamie Benn to the fourth line. Does that ruin our relationship? When I healthy scratched [Evgenii] Dadonov, who I’ve had since he was 20 years old, does that ruin our relationship?” DeBoer said in his exit interview Saturday morning. “No, these aren’t easy conversations. As a player, you don’t like that. I’m sure there’s always some hard feelings. Those are the decisions we make, and we try to keep it as professional as we can, and it’s all with one goal, and that’s to try and keep the group moving forward.”
Oettinger spoke Saturday for the first time since spending most of Game 5 seated next to ESPN broadcaster Ray Ferraro listening to his own game and his team’s latest playoff failure be analyzed.
Understandably, Oettinger was not his normal cheery self when he spoke Saturday, but his competitive side shined through.
“It sucks. It’s embarrassing,” he said. “Any time you get pulled, it doesn’t matter if it’s the playoffs or the regular season, you just want to go right off the ice and crawl in your bed and not talk to anyone.
“The way I’m looking at it is how can I get better from that? How can I make those saves I’ve made all playoffs?”
Oettinger was the team’s most consistent player before the Western Conference finals, posting a .919 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average. But those numbers took a dip in the third round, as he had a .853 save percentage and 3.93 goals-against average in his five games against the Oilers.
This season marked the second year that the Stars had the better goalie on paper than Edmonton entering the round, but that didn’t translate to success on the ice.
It’s hard to pinpoint why that’s been the case. Edmonton has some of the greatest scorers in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. At times, especially in Game 5, the play in front of Oettinger wasn’t where it needed to be.
DeBoer said Saturday the coaching staff discussed giving their starting goalie a rest ahead of Game 4. He played more games than any other goaltender this postseason, faced nearly 100 shots more than the next and was dealing with an illness, though Oettinger said that didn’t impact him.
DeBoer and the coaches wondered if he had been worn down through all his playoff action. But they still chose to start him in every game and only made the decision to sit him after the Stars trailed 2-0 in an elimination game.
“I don’t make those decisions lightly, and I don’t make them not to hurt feelings,” DeBoer said. “There’s nothing personal in it. 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 of a move it was. And when it doesn’t, I’ve got to stand up here and do this. But I can’t make those decisions out of fear of doing this. That’s not how I’m built.”
Oettinger was asked about the future of his relationship with DeBoer. He signed an eight-year extension worth $66 million back in October and is the clear-cut start for Dallas for likely close to the next decade. DeBoer’s contract is up after 2025-26, and his future in Dallas will largely depend on what he’s able to accomplish this time next year.
The Stars goalie somewhat deflected speaking directly to their relationship.
“The whole experience, I think just learn from it, and it’s gonna help me grow and be a better person, be a better goalie,” he said. “My job is to stop the puck. I feel like I’m one of the best in the world when I’m playing well. That’s all I’m gonna focus on. All the extra stuff’s just extra stuff for me. If I go out there next year, and I’m the best goalie in the world, it doesn’t matter if one of you guys are coaching me.”
While Oettinger wouldn’t sing his coach’s praises in the same way some of his teammates did Saturday, DeBoer made his thoughts on the young netminder clear, even if his actions Thursday didn’t line up.
“No one’s a bigger fan of Jake Oettinger than me, as a person or a goalie,” DeBoer said. “I think Jake is the best young goaltender in the league, but that doesn’t mean there’s not still a learning curve and growth.”
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