Stars' Oettinger: Surprisingly quick hook in Game 5 was 'embarrassing'

Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer made the controversial decision to pull starting goaltender Jake Oettinger after he allowed two goals on two shots in Thursday's Game 5 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

The decision backfired, as backup Casey DeSmith - making just his second appearance of the postseason - allowed three goals on 20 shots and the Stars were eliminated.

Oettinger said he was surprised to get yanked so early.

"Obviously, I wasn't expecting that to happen. It was surprising. The reality is if I make one or two of those saves then I'm still playing in the game," Oettinger told reporters Saturday. "The only 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? How do I make them in that game at the start of the game, give the guys a chance to get their feet under them? As a goalie, that's your job, so I've got to do better than that."

Oettinger further explained the awkwardness of sitting next to ESPN's Ray Ferraro while the analyst discussed the goalie change on the broadcast.

"I was on the screen a lot more than I thought I should be. I don't know why they kept showing me. I haven't moved in (a) half hour. It sucks. It's embarrassing," he said. "Anytime you get pulled, it doesn't matter if it's playoffs or if it's regular season, you just want to go right off the ice and crawl under your bed and not talk to anyone. Especially in a moment like that, it's really embarrassing."

DeBoer said he and Oettinger still haven't had a chance to talk since Game 5. He doesn't believe the move will strain their relationship moving forward.

"When I moved Jamie Benn to the fourth line, does that ruin our relationship? When I healthy scratch (Evgenii) Dadonov, who I've had since he was 20 years old, does that ruin our relationship? No. Those aren't easy conversations," DeBoer said. "As a player, you don't like that, I'm sure there's always some hard feelings, but those are the decisions we make. We try and 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."

Despite flourishing in Rounds 1 and 2, Oettinger entered Game 5 with an .869 save percentage in the Western Conference Final. DeBoer reasoned postgame that the "status quo had not been working."

Oettinger is set to enter the first season of an eight-year, $66-million extension signed in 2024. The 26-year-old posted a .909 save percentage in 58 appearances during the regular season. He's started at least 53 games in each of the past three seasons.

DeBoer has led Dallas to the Western Conference Final in each of his three years behind the Stars bench.