3 Dallas Stars players who disappointed in Game 5’s 3-1 loss ft. Jake Oettinger

The Dallas Stars find themselves down 3-2 in their Western Conference Finals series against the Edmonton Oilers after a 3-1 loss in Game 5 on Friday. Dallas had been in control of the series until Edmonton pulled off back-to-back wins to move to within one win of the Stanley Cup Finals.

With the Dallas Stars on the brink of elimination, it’s worth looking into the three players who were most disappointing in Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers.

3 Dallas Stars players who disappointed in game 5

#1: Roope Hintz

Roope Hintz played like an elite center all season long. Then, he went down in the second round with an injury, keeping him out for the first three games against the Oilers.

Since his return, Hintz hasn’t been the dominant force Dallas Stars fans are accustomed to seeing. While his defensive game has been there, his offense hasn’t. Game 5 was a good example of that.

Hintz registered just one shot on goal. Beyond that, Hintz and linemates Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin had a quiet night. They were unable to generate much offense, allowing Edmonton to control much of the game.

#2: Chris Tanev

Tanev was acquired at the trade deadline to provide depth and become a shutdown defenseman. However, Tanev hasn’t been his usual dominant self. In Game 5, he looked slow at times, getting beat on plays he would normally make with his eyes closed.

Case in point: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ first goal. Tanev stood in front of the net, attempting to clear the traffic. However, Tanev wasn’t even close to checking either Zach Hyman or Nugent-Hopkins. Sure enough, the rebound went to Nugent-Hopkins, who tapped the puck in for his fifth of the postseason.

Also, Ryan Suter has looked his age. The 39-year-old has been frequently beaten on plays, making the Tanev-Suter pairing vulnerable during penalty kills.

#3: Jake Oettinger

It’s hard to blame Jake Oettinger for the Game 5 loss. However, Oettinger let in shots that he should have saved. Both the Philip Broberg goal and the second Nugent-Hopkins powerplay marker were goals to his glove hand. Oettinger looked slow in attempting to make the saves.

However, it was the Broberg goal that looked soft. While there was traffic in front of the net, Broberg’s point shot fluttered through the traffic, getting past Oettinger. That type of shot is a save that Oettinger would have usually made.

Overall, Oettinger kept the Dallas Stars in the game. But when looking back at the three goals, they were shots that Oettinger could have stopped. Unfortunately, Oettinger has had one bad game in this series, and it has come at an inopportune time.