During the Dallas Stars’ off-day on Monday, Stars head coach talked at length about their upcoming Western Conference Finals rematch with the Edmonton Oilers. DeBoer discussed why this match-up presents a different (and arguably even tougher) challenge to his team than either the regular season series or last year’s series, which the Stars lost despite prevailing in two of the first three games.
“When you dive into a playoff series, the biggest sample size you have is the regular season. Analytics. Game tape. The most challenging part is [Edmonton] is now a totally different team. You drop in Evander Kane and [Trent] Frederic into the lineup. Slot everybody down. You become a different team. We’re working off more of the playoff version of what they are,” DeBoer said.
“They’re a very impressive team…. they’ve tilted the ice. They’re getting depth scoring. It’s going to be a really tough test for us.”
DeBoer also wrapped up his final thoughts on the Stars’ seven-game victory over the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Semifinal. The entire press conference is worth watching. The Dallas coach offers some valuable insights about the challenge that awaits his club.
