There are many nightmare scenarios in which things could go wrong for a team during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A star player gets injured, a call does not go their way, but rarely is a team's star player taken out of the game in an act of desperation. Unfortunately, that was the case for the Dallas Stars in their do-or-die Game 5 on Thursday night. Pete DeBoer would make a move that would leave some fans scratching their heads, and others fuming.
Stars Look to Avoid Elimination Against Oilers
After an unbelievable third period come back for a Game 1 win, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars">Dallas Stars</a> were sitting pretty in the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers.
It's been no secret through the last three games of the Western Conference that the Dallas Stars have not been able to keep pace with the Edmonton Oilers. Dallas has lacked both the defensive discipline and the offensive production to at times keep the deficient close. While it looked like only a matter of time before the Oilers would close out the series on the Stars, Head Coach Pete DeBoer made a very controversial decision to pull Jake Oettinger from Thursday's game after only seven minutes. The stat sheet for the goaltender did not look pristine up to that point, it is important to be aware that a goaltender is sometimes only as good as the play in front of him. The Stars' goaltender would allow two goals on two shots within the first seven minutes for the Oilers to take an early lead in the elimination game in Dallas.
If Broke Why Not Try It Again? Stars Need To Change Game Plan To Avoid Elimination
Going into Game 4, being down a game on the road would normally not feel like a do-or-die situation for any team. The Dallas Stars have not been playing like any team during in their last two loses in the Western Conference Finals. While much was made about the depth the Stars had going into the series, that same depth has not shown itself as the Stars have failed to counter the offensive outpouring from the Oilers.
The move to remove their superstar goaltender from the game would immediately backfire, as backup goaltender Casey DeSmith would allow a goal to stretch the deficit to three goals. A move like this would certainly raise some eyebrows during normal circumstances in the regular season, to remove the one consistent player for the team thus far, is at this point in the series inexcusable.
With the Stars now shifting to the offseason, it will be interesting to see if there will be any fall out from Oettinger being pulled from an elimination game. How will the net minder react in the offseason? How will the team react in the coming days? Those questions are best well answered during the NHL summer offseason.