Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads.
After a long, grueling playoffs, the Stanley Cup Final is set. The Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers will battle for the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.The Panthers are making their third finals appearance in as many years and the Oilers hope to be the first Canadian team to win the cup since 1993.
Here are the bobbleheads who helped book their teams’ late flights to Cancun.
Dallas Stars: Goaley Jake Oettinger
Oettinger has been far from his All-Star form this postseason. While there were games he singlehandedly kept the Stars alive — like his Game 4 and 6 performances against Winnipeg, where he allowed only one goal in each game after facing over 20 shots — that was not the case against Edmonton. Oettinger managed above a .900 save percentage only once, while allowing two or more goals in every game.
In a do-or-die Game 5 in Dallas, the Stars’ defense seemed to be asleep in the first seven minutes. Dallas took an early penalty that led to an Oilers goal from Corey Perry, which squeaked over Oettinger’s left arm.
Everything went from bad to worse when Edmonton’s Mattias Janmark went untouched by the Stars’ defenders, sending the puck right under Oettinger to secure two goals in the first period.
Stars Head Coach Peter DeBoer called a timeout and pulled his franchise goalie in a move to jolt his team — a move that backfired as Dallas ended up losing 6-3 and bowing out in the conference finals for the third straight year.
“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,” DeBoer said in his post game press conference. “And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. It was partly to spark our team and wake them up.”
Oettinger is not solely to blame for the Game 5 blunders, but he also wasn’t up to par to avoid being put in this situation. DeBoer’s move — and Oettinger’s performance — raise plenty of questions for the Stars as they face a very long offseason.
Carolina Hurricanes: Wing Taylor Hall
Hall was brought to Carolina in January as part of a three-team trade involving the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche.
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The 15-year veteran made the conference finals for the first time in his career; a promising change of scenery for Hall. However, conference finals demons continued to haunt Carolina — the Hurricanes had lost 15 straight conference finals games, with their last win before Game 4 dating back to 2006, the year they won their only Stanley Cup.
Hall became a ghost during the conference finals, going goalless and pointless when Carolina needed offensive production most. He managed only six shots, none of which were on goal.
Carolina lost Game 5 in heartbreaking fashion after a two-goal lead evaporated in just 30 seconds. Florida scored another goal in the second period, and the Hurricanes spent the rest of the game chasing the Panthers, ultimately losing 5-3.
Florida scored at least five goals in every game except their Game 4 loss, while the Hurricanes had to fight for every goal they got. Meanwhile, Hall vanished on the ice, failing to contribute to any of Carolina’s goals.
The Hurricanes now look ahead to a turbulent offseason, and leads to fans questioning if they’ll ever get past the conference final — or win another game in the third round. With Hall signed to a three-year extension, fans hope he can show up this upcoming season.
Simon Reseigh is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @simon_reseigh
