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Stars coach admits he should have replaced Lehtonen sooner

St Louis Blues v Dallas Stars - Game Seven

DALLAS, TX - MAY 11: Brian Elliott #1 of the St. Louis Blues shakes hands with Kari Lehtonen #32 of the Dallas Stars after the Blues won 6-1 in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 11, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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The Dallas Stars got embarrassed by the St. Louis Blues in a 6-1 Game 7 loss, but they’re not throwing Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi under the bus.

If anything, Stars head coach Lindy Ruff took some responsibility for not pulling the trigger on a goalie change sooner.

(Ruff waited until the second period when some believed he should have replaced Lehtonen with Niemi when it was 2-0.)

Granted, Ruff didn’t totally deny that Lehtonen allowed a couple tough goals here -

- via the Dallas Morning News:

On the Blues’ second and third goals:

“He [Kari Lehtonen] would want them back. I think maybe it’s on me. We had the review and maybe it looked like he got a little bit rattled. I should have taken him out sooner. Maybe after the second one. It’s probably on me.”

Ken Hitchcock provided the Stars with effusive praise, deeming them “the future of the NHL” and “where the NHL is going.”

Maybe that’s true, but this time around, it was all about what the Blues did and how the Stars need to improve.

More from Hitchcock here: