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DALLAS — Jake Oettinger is one reason the Stars are in a championship window, yet his Game 5 performance Thursday night was instrumental in Dallas’ third straight Western Conference finals exit.

Oettinger allowed two goals on Edmonton‘s first two shots, leading Stars coach Peter DeBoer to pull his star goaltender, hoping it would spark a change. It did, as Dallas pulled within a goal twice only to watch its season end in a 6-3 loss to the Oilers.

“Any time you pull a goalie the reasoning is to always try and spark your group,” DeBoer said. “So that’s your No. 1 reason. We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with the lead, and obviously, we’re in a 2-0 hole right away. I didn’t take that lightly, and 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.”

Dallas’ downfall began when rookie forward Mavrik Bourque was called for high-sticking with 18:13 left in the first period. The Oilers needed less than a minute for Corey Perry to score on the man advantage for a 1-0 lead. Mattias Janmark then scored nearly five minutes later for a 2-0 lead.

The early deficit continued a trend for the Stars, who allowed the first goal in their past seven playoff games going back to Game 5 of their semifinal series against the Winnipeg Jets.

Casey DeSmith relieved Oettinger, who logged 7:09 in ice time in his second appearance this postseason. His first came in the Stars’ 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the quarterfinals, when he played 19:50.

DeSmith stopped the first two shots he faced, but the Oilers took a 3-0 lead on the third via Jeff Skinner, who entered the lineup after Zach Hyman suffered an injury in Game 4 that is expected to keep him out throughout the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

The Stars twice cut the deficit to one goal. Jason Robertson scored the first of his two goals with 8:20 left in the opening period before Roope Hintz scored on a power-play goal with 7:33 remaining in the second, trimming the lead to 3-2.

Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid countered on a breakaway, maneuvering past Hintz and scoring for a 4-2 edge with 5:32 left in the second.

Robertson’s second goal just 38 seconds into the third brought it to within one again, but Evander Kane‘s attempt to throw a pass into the slot was redirected off Esa Lindell‘s skate and into the net for a 5-3 lead less than three minutes later.

That effectively ended the Stars’ comeback before Kasperi Kapanen‘s empty-netter pushed it to 6-3 with 11 seconds left.

“I don’t know the timing of it, but I think they scored pretty quickly both times,” Robertson said of the Stars coming within a goal. “It’s disappointing.”

Robertson was then asked about the message sent by DeBoer regarding the decision to pull Oettinger.

“We gotta step up,” he said. “It’s unacceptable for us to let him hang him out like that. The whole playoffs, he’s been our guy. The whole season. It’s unacceptable.”

Oettinger, who won more than 30 regular-season games for a fourth straight season, began last year’s Western Conference finals with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage through the first three games as the Stars took a 2-1 lead. But he then lost the next three games while posting a 3.09 GAA and a .847 save percentage with the Stars falling in Game 6 despite allowing only 10 shots on goal.

Dallas opened this series with a comeback 6-3 win as Oettinger gave up three goals on 24 shots. Game 4 was the only time this series in which his save percentage exceeded .900 (.935 after stopping 29 of 31 shots).

“So, it was to partly spark our team and wake them up,” DeBoer said. “And partly knowing [the] status quo had not been working, and that’s a pretty big sample size.”

Oettinger’s early exit adds to what will be an offseason of intrigue for a Stars team that has several financial decisions to make in what is expected to be an active offseason in the Western Conference.

PuckPedia projects the team will have a little more than $4.96 million remaining in cap space because it traded for Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually, in addition to the pay bumps players such as Wyatt Johnston and Oettinger will receive starting next season.

Dallas will have a seven-player class of unrestricted free agents led by captain Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene. Benn told ESPN in late March that he didn’t envision playing for any other team.

Along with reconfiguring parts of their roster, the Stars also will use the offseason to reconcile what it means to be the first team in NHL history to reach three straight conference finals and not advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

“The examples are endless in this league,” DeBoer said. “You know, the Washington Capitals, a decade of knocking on the door. You know, on and on. It’s a really, really hard league to win in. And when you get down to the end of the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher.”

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Ichiro shows funny side, joins CC, Wagner in HOF

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Ichiro shows funny side, joins CC, Wagner in HOF

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player to be enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, one of five new members of baseball’s hallowed institution.

After enduring the baseball tradition known as a rain delay, the five speeches went off without a hitch as the deluge subsided and the weather became hot and humid. Joining Suzuki were pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, and sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker, both of whom were enshrined posthumously.

“For the third time, I am a rookie,” Suzuki said, delivering his comments in English despite his long preference for conducting his public appearances in Japanese with the aid of an interpreter.

For the American audience, this provided a rare glimpse into Suzuki’s playful side. Teammates long spoke of his sense of humor behind the closed doors of the clubhouse — something the public rarely saw — but it was on full display Sunday.

When Hall voting was announced, Suzuki fell one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous selection for the Hall. He thanked the writers for their support — with an exception.

“Three-thousand [career] hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers,” Suzuki said. “Except, oh, one of you.”

After the laughter subsided, Suzuki mentioned the gracious comments he made when balloting results were announced, when he offered to invite the writer who didn’t vote for him home for dinner to learn his reasoning. Turns out, it’s too late.

“The offer to the one writer to have dinner at my home has now … expired!” Suzuki said.

Suzuki’s attention to detail and unmatched work ethic have continued into the present day, more than five years since he played his last big league game. That was central to his message Sunday, at least when he wasn’t landing a joke.

“If you consistently do the little things, there’s no limit to what you can achieve,” Suzuki said. “Look at me. I’m 5-11 and 170 pounds. When I came to America, many people said I was too skinny to compete with bigger major leaguers.”

After becoming one of the biggest stars in Japanese baseball, hitting .353 over nine seasons for the Orix BlueWave, Suzuki exploded on the scene as a 27-year-old rookie for the Seattle Mariners, batting .350 and winning the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.

Chants of “Ichiro!” that once were omnipresent at Mariners games erupted from the crowd sprawled across the grounds of the complex while the all-time single-season hits leader (262 in 2004) posed with his plaque alongside commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark.

Despite his late start in MLB, Suzuki finished with 3,089 hits in the majors and 4,367 including his time in Japan. Suzuki listed some of his feats, such as the hit total, and his 10 Gold Gloves.

“Not bad,” he said.

Sabathia’s weekend got off to a mildly rough start when his wife’s car broke down shortly after the family caravan departed for Cooperstown. They arrived in plenty of time though, and Sabathia was greeted warmly by numerous Yankees fans who made the trip.

After breaking in with Cleveland at age 20, Sabathia rocketed to stardom with a 17-5 rookie season. Alas, that came in 2001, the same year that Suzuki landed in the American League.

“Thank you most of all to the great players sitting behind me,” Sabathia said. “I am so proud and humbled to join you as a Hall of Famer, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year Award in 2001.”

Sabathia focused the bulk of his comments on the support he has received over the years from his friends and family, especially his wife, Amber.

“The first time we met was at a house party when I was a junior in high school,” Sabathia said. “We spent the whole night talking, and that conversation has been going on for 29 years.”

Parker, 74, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on June 28, less than a month before the induction ceremony. Representing him at the dais was his son, Dave Parker II, and though the moment was bittersweet, it was hardly somber.

Parker II finished the speech with a moving poem written by his father that, for a few minutes, made it feel as if the player nicknamed “The Cobra” were present.

“Thanks for staying by my side,” Parker’s poem concluded. “I told y’all Cooperstown would be my last rap, so the star of Dave will be in the sky tonight. Watch it glow. But I didn’t lie in my documentary — I told you I wouldn’t show.”

Parker finished with 2,712 hits and 339 homers, won two Gold Gloves on the strength of his legendary right-field arm and was named NL MVP in 1978. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and entered the Hall representing the Bucs.

Wagner, whose 422 career saves ranks eighth on the all-time list, delivered an emotional but humorous speech about a small-town guy with a small-for-a-pitcher 5-foot-10 stature who made it big.

“I feel like my baseball life has come full circle,” Wagner said. “I was a fan before I could play. Back when baseball wasn’t so available on TV, every Saturday morning I watched Johnny Bench and so many of the other greats on a show ‘The Baseball Bunch.'”

In one of the moments of baseball serendipity that only Cooperstown can provide, the telecast flashed to Bench, sitting a few feet away from where Wagner was speaking.

Allen’s widow, Willa, delivered a touching tribute to her late husband, who died in 2020 after years of feeling overlooked for his outstanding career. The 1964 NL Rookie of the Year for the Phillies, Allen won the 1972 AL MVP for the Chicago White Sox.

“Baseball was his first love,” Willa said. “He used to say, ‘I’d have played for nothing,’ and I believe he meant it. But of course, if you compare today’s salary, he played almost for nothing.”

Willa focused on the softer side of a player who in his time was perhaps unfairly characterized for a contentious relationship with the media.

“He was devoted to people, not just fans, but especially his teammates,” Willa said. “If he heard someone was sick or going through a tough time, he’ll turn to me and say, ‘Willa, they have to hear from us.'”

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Braves get starting pitcher Fedde from Cardinals

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Braves get starting pitcher Fedde from Cardinals

The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran starting pitcher Erick Fedde from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later or cash, both teams announced Sunday.

As part of the deal, the Cardinals will cover the majority of what remains of Fedde’s $7.5 million salary for 2025, a source told ESPN.

Fedde, 32, is a free agent at season’s end, making him a surprising pickup for a Braves team that was swept by the Texas Rangers over the weekend and is 16 games below .500, trailing the first-place New York Mets by 16½ games.

But the Braves have sustained a slew of injuries to their starting rotation of late, with AJ Smith-Shawver (torn ulnar collateral ligament), Spencer Schwellenbach (fractured elbow), Chris Sale (fractured ribcage) and, more recently, Grant Holmes (elbow inflammation) landing on the injured list since the start of June.

Fedde reestablished himself in South Korea in 2023, parlaying a dominant season into a two-year, $15 million contract to return stateside with the Chicago White Sox. Fedde continued that success in 2024, posting a 3.30 ERA in 177⅓ innings with the White Sox and Cardinals.

This year, though, it has been a struggle for a crafty right-hander who doesn’t generate a lot of strikeouts. Twenty starts in, Fedde is 3-10 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.

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Dodgers go to 6-man rotation amid Ohtani return

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Dodgers go to 6-man rotation amid Ohtani return

BOSTON — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is expected to start on the mound Wednesday as he continues his buildup from elbow surgery that kept him from pitching all last season.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before the Dodgers faced the Boston Red Sox in the finale of their three-game series that the plan is for Ohtani to work four innings at Cincinnati, with an off day to recover before hitting in a game.

With the Japanese superstar working his way back along with left-hander Blake Snell, who pitched 4⅔ innings on Saturday in his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City, the Dodgers will be using a six-man rotation.

They currently have Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan in the rotation.

“Shohei is going to go on Wednesday and then he’ll probably pitch the following Wednesday, so that probably lends itself to the six-man,” Roberts said.

In Ohtani’s last start, he allowed one run and four hits in three innings against Minnesota on July 22. He struck out three and walked one, throwing 46 pitches, 30 for strikes.

Roberts said this season is sort of a rehab year in the big leagues and doesn’t foresee the team extending Ohtani’s workload deep into games for a while.

“I think this whole year on the pitching side is sort of rehab, maintenance,” he said. “We’re not going to have the reins off where we’re going to say: ‘Hey you can go 110 pitches.’ I don’t see that happening for quite some time. I think that staying at four [innings] for a bit, then build up to five and we’ll see where we can go from there.”

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