Is Jake Oettinger's prime being wasted in Dallas? The franchise is to blame
Dallas learned the hard way that they cannot win a Stanley Cup since their offense vanishes at 5-on-5, leaving Jake Oettinger's elite play completely unsupported.
Is Jake Oettinger's prime being wasted in Dallas? The franchise is to blame originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Jake Oettinger, 27, has an eight-year, $66 million contract with Dallas. He has played 71 playoff games, led the team to three straight Western Conference Finals and won 35 regular-season games this year, which is the third-most in the NHL. Yet Dallas is watching another offseason start without a Cup.
And for the second straight year, they lost because they cannot score at even strength. Against Minnesota in Round 1, the Stars went nearly three and a half games (209:56) without an even-strength goal. They scored only four 5-on-5 goals out of 15 total goals in the six-game series.
In contrast, the Wild scored 14 even-strength goals. Last year in the Western Conference Final, they had a similar problem on the ice, scoring only five even-strength goals and losing to Edmonton in six games. Jake Oettinger's honest assessment signals growing urgency Oettinger did not hide his frustration during his exit interview.