The Presidents Trophy is awarded to the NHL team that finishes the regular season with the best record. This year, there are many challengers for the top seed in the entire league. One of those challengers is the Dallas Stars. In fact, Dallas is just one point off the New York Rangers, who currently have the best record in the league. But head coach Pete DeBoer feels his team is ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no matter how the season ends.
DeBoer spoke with reporters shortly after the Stars officially clinched a playoff berth. He did acknowledge that winning the Presidents Trophy would be “fantastic.” However, it isn’t the end of the world. And he put the entire league on notice with his comments.
“We want to win as many games as we can here going in the playoffs,” DeBoer said, via NHL.com. “I like how we’re playing. We’ve got eight games left. If that results in a Presidents’ Trophy, fantastic. If it doesn’t and we keep playing and our game stays in the same place, we’re comfortable playing against anybody.”
Pete DeBoer’s attention to detail
Pete DeBoer has led the Stars to success early in his tenure in Dallas. In fact, the veteran bench boss ended his first year in the Lone Star State by helping Dallas make the Western Conference Final. Dallas came within two games of returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2020.
Now, the Stars are once again contenders in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have a real chance to go on another deep playoff run. And for DeBoer, this is due to the team’s attention to detail while playing the game.
“We’re not worried about the result. We’re worried about playing playoff-type, detailed hockey, line changes, putting pucks in good places, making sure our special teams are good, making sure our goaltender is good. When you do that and your details are in a good place, usually results take care of themselves and that’s what’s happening,” the Stars head coach said, via NHL.com.
Results have certainly fallen in favor the Stars this year. As of this writing, Dallas sits in first place in a hotly contested Central Division. The Stars have 101 points on the season, making them the second team to pass the century mark in 2023-24. As mentioned, the New York Rangers are the top seed in the entire league with 102 points.
Stars’ Jake Oettinger vocal on Stanley Cup Playoffs
Before the 2023-24 season, goaltending seemed like something of a strong point for the Stars. Jake Oettinger was coming off a career year that saw him win 37 games and post a .919 save percentage. However, the Minnesota native has had a bit of a down year in 2023-24. He has an .899 save percentage to this point, which would be a career-low by far.
Still, there is reason to have faith. Oettinger has bounced back as of late. The 25-year-old puck-stopper has won each of his last four games. During that span, he has recorded a save percentage of .932. If he carries this form into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pete DeBoer and his team have a lot to be excited about.
“I feel good. I just want to keep working on some stuff and build on the good stuff I did tonight and just feel good right now and want to keep getting better,” Oettinger said after his game Thursday, via NHL.com. “We’ve at times played like a Stanley Cup contender, so when we put it all together like we did tonight we’re really confident in what we can do.”
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