NHL analyst expects "damage control" from Stars after claiming Jake Oettinger is "pissed off" for Game 5 goalie pull

Jake Oettinger was pulled from Game 5 just over seven minutes into the first period. The Dallas Stars were already down 2-0 after allowing two goals on the first two shots by the Edmonton Oilers. Head coach Pete DeBoer replaced Oettinger with Casey DeSmith, hoping to spark the team. But, Edmonton went on to win 6-3 and took the series 4-1.

TSN analyst Mike Johnson believes the decision could hurt Jake Oettinger more than help. He explained that pulling a goalie in a big moment might not motivate him. Instead, it could make him feel that the coach does not trust him.

"You're not going to light a fire," Johnson said. "He's not going to train hard and come back with a chip on his shoulder. All he's going to do is get pissed off at his coach and think that his coach doesn't believe in him in the biggest moments, which may in fact be true. Yeah, like, that's going to be damage control." [7:45]

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This was the second straight year Dallas lost to Edmonton in the Western Conference final. Oettinger was the starting goalie both times.

Last year, the Stars took a 2-1 lead in the series but lost three straight games thereafter. Oettinger gave up nine goals on 64 shots during that stretch. This year, he allowed 16 goals in five games.

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Dallas coach Pete DeBoer's statement on Jake Oettinger

In his statement to the media, Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said he made the decision based on the team’s poor starts and Jake Oettinger’s record of late.

“Anytime you pull a goalie, the reasoning is always to try and spark your group, so that was the No. 1 reason,” DeBoer said, via NHL.com.

Jake Oettinger had a 3.55 goals-against average and a .869 save percentage through the first four games. DeBoer said keeping the same approach wasn’t working and they needed to try something different.

“The reality is, if you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton and we gave up two [goals] on two [shots] in an elimination game," DeBoer said, via NHL.com. “It was partly to spark our team and wake them up and partly knowing that status quo had not been working. And that’s a pretty big sample size.”

Casey DeSmith replaced Oettinger and made 17 saves on 20 shots. It was his first game since April 26, when he also replaced Oettinger during a loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1.

Now, the Stars must deal with another early exit and possible tension between their starting goalie and head coach.