DeBoer, Stars get set for rematch against Oilers in Western Conference Final
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The Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars will renew hostilities in short order as the teams battle in the Western Conference Final for the second straight year.
Last season, the Oilers prevailed over the Stars in a six-game series to reach their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since 2006, before ultimately falling to the Florida Panthers in seven games.
Edmonton has now reached the Conference Final for the third time in four years after knocking off the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights this postseason, while Dallas has made the trip in each of the last three seasons with series wins over the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets earlier in the spring.
“To be in the final four that many times is a privilege,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told NHL.com ahead of last year’s series against the Oilers. “Just got to try to end up in the top spot one of these times.”
While the Stars have made the Conference Final in each of DeBoer’s first three seasons with the team, they have fallen short of getting over the hump, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights and Oilers in consecutive years.
DeBoer has seen significant playoff success over the course of his coaching career, but like the Stars over the past few seasons, has yet to hoist the Stanley Cup.
The Dunnville, Ont. native has won 96 playoff games as a head coach, tied for the fifth-highest mark in NHL history, but has lost his only two appearances in the Cup final in 2012 and 2016.
DeBoer and the Stars will be looking to buck that trend this time around, but a series with the Oilers to get to that stage is the next step on their journey.
“He’s been there, hasn’t gotten the results that he’s wanted, so I think he’s learned from previous experiences,” Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said of his head coach.
“At this point in the season, there’s not a lot he can do so far when it comes to effort and stuff, so I think he does a good job of relying on the leadership that we have in here.”
With a handful of deep playoff runs under his belt, DeBoer brings a wealth of experience to any team he leads, something that Tyler Seguin has noticed from the man behind his bench.
“I don’t know how other teams are,” he said. “But there’s definitely a comfort in situations where maybe you wouldn’t think that there should be, and that starts at the top with Pete, and it tickles down to leadership and just keeping the ship straight.”
Seguin, one of the longest-tenured members of the Stars, has seen a Stanley Cup Final in his time in Dallas coming back in the 2020 season.
The Stars lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Seguin finishing the series with zero goals and five assists.
He has also played in two Cup finals in his time with the Boston Bruins, contributing one assist in their seven-game series win over the Vancouver Canucks in 2011.
“If [DeBoer] was showing how bad he wants it, it would become too emotional, probably,” Seguin added. “It would become too high and low, and I think his balance is where he separates [himself]. But I know internally how bad he wants it, how bad that group back there wants it.”
The Stars hold home ice advantage in the series and will host Game 1 of the Western Conference Final from American Airlines Center on Wednesday night.