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Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger is watching as history repeats itself: him being outdueled by the Oilers' Stuart Skinner in the Western Conference Final. It happened a year ago when the Oilers beat the Stars in six games, and the same trend is developing in the 2025 iteration of the West Final.
In Game 3 on Sunday afternoon, Skinner made 33 saves on 34 shots in a 6-1 Edmonton victory, while Oettinger allowed six goals on just 24 shots. That came two days after he allowed three goals in Game 2 on 25 shots, while Skinner recorded a shutout in the 3-0 final.
Despite the 26-year-old's struggles, he still has the full faith of his head coach heading into Game 4.
“Listen, we wouldn’t be sitting here in the conference finals without Jake Oettinger and how he’s played,” Pete DeBoer said when asked about his goalie’s performance, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
“Tonight was one of those games where they were opportunistic, and once they got the lead, we’re pushing to get back in and there’s grade-As going the other way. One thing I know about Jake Oettinger, for me, he’s one of the best response goalies in the league. I know he’s not going to drag around tonight’s game.”
LeBrun also believes DeBoer is correct, writing that “the Stars goalie will bounce back” in Game 4.
It certainly hasn't been all Oettinger's fault. After exploding for five goals in the third period of Game 1, the Stars' offense has managed just one goal in 120 minutes of hockey, and that's not a recipe for any kind of success in the Western Conference Final.
Stars trying to stop history from repeating itself
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This West Final is playing out a little differently than it did in 2024. The two teams split the first two games in Dallas last year before the Stars won Game 3 at Rogers Place. The Oilers won each of the next three to book their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Stars are hoping to flip the script in 2025, and they'll need to manage to find a way to consistently beat Skinner on Tuesday night or else face elimination back in Texas for Game 5 later this week.
Dallas was missing key forward Roope Hintz for the contest after he took a slash from Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse in Game 2. Despite that, DeBoer is happy with how his team played despite the lopsided result.
“Tonight, we were without our No. 1 center; we were on the road here in a tough environment. I thought we played a really good hockey game for a good stretch of that game,” the bench boss said, per NHL.com's Gerry Moddejonge.
“So there’s nothing to get emotional or upset about. I think you have to be realistic with your group. I liked our compete tonight; I liked a lot of parts of our game, and we’ve got to build on that and hopefully get Roope Hintz back and get back in this series.”
The Stars will look to do just that — and steal back home-ice advantage — when the puck drops on Game 4 just past 8:00 p.m. EDT from Rogers Place on Tuesday night.
