Peter DeBoer Under Fire for Throwing Jake Oettinger Under the Bus After Stars Eliminated

Peter DeBoer Under Fire for Throwing Jake Oettinger Under the Bus After Stars Eliminated originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

After hard-fought series wins over the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1 and the Central Division champion Winnipeg Jets in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Dallas Stars simply had no answer for the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference finals.

The Stars rallied for a 6-3 win over the Oilers in Game 1, but they were outscored 19-5 over their next four games and were eliminated from the postseason with Thursday’s 6-3 Game 5 loss.

While Edmonton making it back to the Stanley Cup Final after falling in seven games to the Florida Panthers last year wasn’t a surprise, what Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said about starting goalie Jake Oettinger moments after his team’s season ended surely was.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger makes a save against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

DeBoer seemingly pointed the finger at Oettinger, who was pulled 7:09 into the opening period after allowing two goals on the first two shots he faced, for Dallas’ season coming to a premature end.

“Anytime you pull a goalie, the reasoning is always to try and spark your group, so that was the No. 1 reason,” DeBoer told reporters. “… Obviously, we were in a 2-0 hole right away, and 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. And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. … That’s a pretty big sample size.”

While some fans likely understood DeBoer benching Oettinger with the season on the line, others criticized him on social media for throwing his star goaltender under the bus.

“The full comment is an absolute kick in the nuts to Otter. Yes, the Stars were down 2-0 again. The rookie Pete put in the lineup gave McDavid a PP 1:47 into the game. Then Pete’s team was in a coma while Janmark scored on a partial break. Obviously on the goalie,” ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski wrote.

“Famously ends well for coaches who put all the blame on one player immediately after a playoff elimination game,” one fan pointed out.

“I think he might have an inkling that he’s done in Dallas. This is him getting a parting shot,” another fan speculated.

“Anyone get the license plate of the bus he threw him under?” asked one user.

“How many games did the coach lose against Edmonton the past two years. (Hint: rhymes with 8 of 11.)” another user replied.

“What on earth was Pete thinking. He’s better than this. And you never mention the phrase ‘status quo’ when you are the guy who has now lost three straight Western Conference Finals. Jake Oettinger was the least of the Stars problems in this series. The very least,” one fan exclaimed.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.

Peter DeBoer Under Fire for Throwing Jake Oettinger Under the Bus After Stars Eliminated

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