Game 5 Stray Observations (WC Finals): Edmonton eliminates Dallas in five

Guh.

Going into Game 5, everybody was expecting and preparing for the worst. Having been massively outscored (8-16 until tonight), with tons of targets to appropriate blame towards, there was little of any hope. Today I wrote about how this was silly. Not because Dallas could turn it around, but because they were doing fine in key areas.

Was I wrong? I don’t think so. For reasons we’ll have plenty of time to unpack. But Game 5 certainly did its level best to make me look like the idiot I usually am. Once again Dallas started the game trailing, and once again it just led to more problems. It’s no wonder they looked out of gas, and ineffective towards the end. They never got to take a shift off.

However, there’s a deeper truth underlying the narratives about how “soft” Dallas potentially is, and constantly trailing: maybe this Dallas team just can’t beat that Edmonton team. They didn’t last year, and they didn’t this year. It’s a very doomer statement, but it’s not like these Stars teams took the Oilers the distance. They had moments, sure. And Edmonton really leveraged special teams to gain the edge. But the Oilers are elite. Dallas might just be a level below that.

That’s not at all reassuring, but teams don’t get better by being reassured. They get better by being honest about what they lack, and where they can get better. The bar is not set at “this guy can take some defensive zone shifts.” (More on that in the strays) I don’t want to get lost in the weeds of future pieces. We’ll do an autopsy report in time. For now, this is the feel-bad phase. It sucks. But it’s what we sign up for. For now, I’ll just say cheers to an exciting season. And thank you subscribers.

The Stars may have time to sleep, but the Stars Stack won’t.

Early barrage

You can write however many complaints about the “lack of response” on Roope Hintz you want. Dallas got roasted early in the game because the Oilers were wide open in the slot. A lot.

In a game as random as hockey, I don’t think you need any grand narratives to make sense of what happened except Maximum Chaos. However, what’s not random is Dallas starting on their backfoot. Again trailing to start a game, wherever the Stars are headed, this has to be addressed.

Jake Oettinger pulled within seven minutes

I didn’t think Oettinger was “get benched” levels of bad, but getting scored on by Mattias Janmark for the second goal of the game within seven minutes of its start was more about sending a message. The classic wake up call. I personally thought Oettinger was gonna come back in after the first period. Especially after the Casey DeSmith got scored on. You almost wonder what that would have looked like given the goals that were scored later. Nonetheless, it’s an unfortunate end for a player who mostly held his ground in the postseason. Even worse: DeBoer did not take the high road on this one.

Dallas’ depth, too late, but not too little

Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson were players that needed a big game. They got one, even if it was too late. It’s hard to really evaluate these two in the broad strokes. In some ways, both their struggles make logical sense: Robertson with an injury recovery, and Johnston with a newly-adopted shutdown role. I’m not giving them a pass, but I also suspect we’ll see Johnston’s minutes dialed back a bit.

The “soft” debate

I’m gonna write about this for a separate article. For now, I just don’t see the point in questioning the mettle of a team that has gone to three straight Western Conference Finals. Where was this talking point after the Colorado series? Or Winnipeg? If your point is dictated by wins and losses, then you don’t have one. Yes, the Darnell Nurse slash was lame and should have been called a major. In a hockey universe where the NHL actively cares about player safety, maybe we don’t have to talk about Stars payers doing the ref’s jobs for them. Whatever the case, this is hockey. Not the UFC. You beat your opponent by putting the puck in the net. Not your fist in their face. Dallas didn’t do the former, which is why the latter became a talking point in the first place.

An obvious fix heading into the offseason

We’ve always known Dallas’ weakness. Unfortunately, it displayed itself at the worst time in the worst way.

Here’s what I said at the time of the trade. “Some things you don’t need to “wait and see” for. Ceci is a defective defender everywhere he’s been. This is known.”

I don’t mean to bag on Ceci yet again. If anything, Esa Lindell should catch some strays too. But it should have always been clear that Dallas needed a better blueline, and specifically — a certain type of defender to pair with Lindell. Without someone to move the puck up ice next to him, the team will always be stuck in quicksand trying to break out of the zone. It’s not like the Stars got away with it in previous series either. Nonetheless, if there’s a sign of hope it’s that Dallas has all the evidence they need that Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Cody Ceci can’t be a part of next year’s plans.

In the meantime — because I need to remind myself after too many aggro encounters on Twitter — hug someone you love. It’s just a sport.

P.S.

Can’t have enough recaps? Recap’s up at D Magazine too!