Glen Gulutzan explains decision to stick with Jake Oettinger through Stars' Game 1 loss

Q: Why did Glen Gulutzan keep Jake Oettinger in goal during Game 1?

Gulutzan stated he never considered pulling Oettinger, emphasizing that the loss was not due to goaltending but rather team performance issues.

Q: What was Jake Oettinger's performance in the Game 1 loss against the Wild?

Oettinger stopped 23 of 28 shots, allowing five goals in the 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Q: How has Jake Oettinger performed in previous Game 1s of the playoffs?

Oettinger has a 2-8 record in Game 1s over the past four playoff appearances, indicating ongoing struggles in opening games.

Q: What reasons did Gulutzan give for the Stars' poor performance in Game 1?

Gulutzan cited issues with special teams and a lack of hard battling as key factors in the team's disappointing performance.

Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) celebrates with his teammate Matt Boldy (12) after scoring a goal against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during the first period of Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series at American Airlines Center, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Dallas. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News) The last time Stars goalie Jake Oettinger allowed a goal-scoring flurry in a playoff game like on Saturday, he was pulled from the game in a decision that would eventually lead to the dismissal of the Stars' head coach. The Stars' Game 1 flop won't lead to those kinds of dramatics. But that's one of the only positives to take away from it. In a 6-1 loss to the Wild in which Oettinger allowed five goals, including a three-goals-in-five-minutes span early in the second period, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan was fairly adamant postgame that benching his starting goalie in Game 1 was never a consideration. "No," Gulutzan said flatly when asked after the game if he thought about pulling Oettinger. "I look at the goals, I'm not sure how he stops a deflection that's missing the net and then [gets tipped in]. Then one from behind the net where we lose the battle and they get two whacks at it. He's gonna stop the initial shot." Oettinger stopped 23 of 28 shots on Saturday in what was another Game 1 loss for , . Over that stretch, Oettinger has a 2-8 record in Game 1s. "There's no excuse for it. It's not acceptable," Oettinger said after the game. "I don't really know the rhyme or reason [for the struggles in Game 1s]. The only thing I can do better is play better in Game 1s. I think everybody can say that about themselves." The loss to the Wild was reminiscent of last season's playoff opener against the , where Oettinger allowed four goals in a 5-1 loss, as well as the game that ended their season, a Game 5 loss against the in the Western Conference finals. After allowing three goals in the first eight minutes against the Oilers, coach Pete DeBoer made the decision to pull Oettinger for backup in a move that GM Jim Nill cited as a contributing factor in DeBoer's dismissal during the offseason. According to Gulutzan after Saturday's loss, however, the 6-1 loss wasn't on Oettinger, who remained in net until he was pulled late in the third period for the extra attacker. The Stars coach instead emphasized both ends of their special teams and a lack of "hard battling" as the reasons for the Game 1 blowout. "Nothing for me was on goaltending," Gulutzan said. "For me it was, our special teams need to be better. Our 5-on-5 play wasn't good enough at all. We gotta get our nose over the puck a little bit more. Like I said, we haven't had these all year, and to a man we could be better, so that's a positive moving forward." Dallas Stars players take the ice for Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)