The Dallas Stars elect not to show up, again, and are on the brink one round too soon

Whatever combination of four-letter and colorful curse words you prefer, the Dallas Stars deserve all of them, including those in French, Spanish and Chinese.

Rather than play as if their playoff existence depends on it, the Dallas Stars elected not to play at all in their most important game of the season.

The Edmonton Oilers walked into the American Airlines Center and whipped, whupped and whapped the Stars, 3-1 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night. The Oilers lead the series, 3-2.

The Stars are on the edge of blowing this, and their head coach knows it.

After the game, Stars coach Pete DeBoer took exception to a benign question asked by Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw about the team’s play in the second period. A second period where they gave up two goals.

DeBoer tersely defended the character of his team, something Cowlishaw didn’t even mention.

“You know, you go ahead and write whatever the (bleep) you want,” DeBoer said.

Swell idea, coach. DeBoer’s team didn’t show up, and he knows it. He’s got to make the best of it, fast, or this season is over.

The series returns to Edmonton for Game 6 on Sunday night. If the Stars continue their current pace, they would be better off to send the Ice Girls rather than the players. What the Stars players did on Friday night was insulting; the fans who paid big money for tickets to watch the game in person should demand a refund.

What the Stars did on Friday night looked awfully close to the performance the Dallas Cowboys “executed” in their playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers in January. The biggest of games that netted not the biggest of performances but rather a complete retreat into the men’s room.

The favorites to at least reach the Stanley Cup Final are now one loss away from failing to reach their desired destination. A destination that should be theirs.

It’s in doubt after the Stars fell behind 3-0 early in the second period. The Stars had not trailed by three goals at all in the postseason, until Games 4 and 5 of this series.

The Stars are in this position because too many of their best players continue to disappear for long stretches, their defensemen are having a hard time keeping up with the Edmonton Oilers forwards, and the one spot that should be “theirs” is not.

Before this series began, it was universally agreed the Stars have the better goaltender. Every number said the Stars’ Jake Oettinger is better than Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner.

Skinner was benched in his team’s previous series. Against the Stars, Stuart Skinner is now some combination of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.

By the end of the second period in Game 5, Oettinger had allowed three goals on 15 shots. Skinner had allowed 0 goals on 10 shots.

After the Stars took a 2-0 lead early in Game 4, they were out-scored 8-0. The Stars went for what felt like a week without a goal.

Their power play is 0-for-11 in this series, whereas Edmonton’s version had two goals on Friday night.

To start the third period, the Stars applied the pressure on Skinner that was missing since the first six minutes of Game 4. Twice the Stars had ideal looks on Skinner near the goal only to be denied both times.

By the time the Stars finally did score, the goal came with a little less than six minutes remaining. It was a sad sight to watch the Stars fans, desperate to see their team make a game of it, praying for their team to come up with two goals in the final minutes.

“You’re down to the four best teams. It’s not going to look great. There isn’t a lot of room, or time,” DeBoer said. “That’s deep, playoff hockey.”

Game 5 was one of those nights that was not meant to be. The Oilers are currently in a stretch where they are out-playing the Stars in every aspect.

Do not blame any of this on the iffy ankle/foot of Stars defenseman Chris Tanev. Tanev had to leave Game 4 early when he took a puck to the right foot, but he played in Game 5.

DeBoer said Tanev “gutted it out;” the man did the best he could despite the injury.

The blue line remains an issue for the Stars, as are the forwards who score aren’t scoring. The Stars had been rolling four lines, and now it looks like they are rolling to the offseason.

“We haven’t had our best, other than Game 3,” Stars forward Matt Duchene said. “We’ve been a bit disjointed offensively all series.”

The Stars will now return to Edmonton to keep their season alive for one more game, with the hope to play a Game 7 on Tuesday night at home.

The way this series has gone, do not be surprised when the Stars force a Game 7.

The way this season has gone, do not be surprised when the Stars win that Game 7.

If they continue to play the way they are, do not be surprised when the Stars’ season ends on Sunday night with Edmonton celebrating a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.