Dallas Stars Fire Pete DeBoer After Collapse vs. Oilers in Shocking Move

DeBoer coached three seasons in Dallas with a 149-68-29 record, making the playoffs in all three seasons and winning a Central Division title in 2024. The collapse vs. the Oilers in Round 3 likely led to his demise.

DeBoer hastily pulled starting goaltender Jake Oettinger in the first period of their 6-3 loss in Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers last Thursday when he allowed goals on the first two shots of the game.

DeBoer put Oettinger on public blast following his team's Game 5 elimination

DeBoer's post-game comments about Oettinger likely did not sit well with the front office of the Stars.

'We had talked endlessly about trying to play with the lead. And obviously, we were in a 2-0 hole right away,' DeBoer told reporters after the game. '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 gave up two shots on two goals in an elimination game. So, it was partly to spark our team and wake them up. And it was partly knowing that the status quo had not been working. That's a pretty big sample size.'

Oettinger, 26, finished third in the NHL in wins in the regular season with a stellar 36-18-4 record to go along with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

This is the second consecutive season the Stars have fallen to the Oilers in the conference final of the Stanley Cup playoffs.