Jake Oettinger is one reason the Stars are in a championship window, yet his Game 5 performance Thursday night was instrumental in Dallas\' third straight Western Conference finals exit.
Oettinger allowed two goals on Edmonton\'s first two shots, leading Stars coach Peter DeBoer to pull his star goaltender, hoping it would spark a change. It did, as Dallas pulled within a goal twice only to watch its season end in a 6-3 loss to the Oilers.
\"Any time you pull a goalie the reasoning is to always try and spark your group,\" DeBoer said. \"So that\'s your No. 1 reason. We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with the lead, and obviously, we\'re in a 2-0 hole right away. I didn\'t take that lightly, and I didn\'t blame it all on Jake.
\"But the reality is, if you go back to last year\'s playoffs, he\'s lost six of seven games to Edmonton.\"