Oilers’ Stuart Skinner’s consecutive shutouts helps to quiet the haters

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis(sellishockey)
May 15, 2025, 10:01 EDT
Stuart Skinner making a save
Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Few NHL starting goalies have had as much of a roller coaster ride the past two years as Stuart Skinner.

The Edmonton Oilers‘ No. 1 goaltender has shown he can absolutely steal games, and he was a big reason why the Oilers nearly won the Stanley Cup last year. He temporarily lost the starter’s gig, but eventually regained it and played some of his best hockey down the stretch.

Skinner has lost the starter job twice in two years now. After going 0-2 to kick off the first round last month, with Skinner allowing nine goals, it looked like the Oilers were toast. Then, Calvin Pickard jumped in, won six straight, and the Oilers looked dangerous again. So when Pickard got hurt after Game 2, Skinner was back in the saddle again.

Oilers fans let out a collective gulp and just hoped for the best.

The Oilers lost Game 3 against Vegas 4-3, allowing four goals on 24 shots. The last one was a bit wonky, but he wasn’t the only one at fault. If anything, you want your goalie to challenge aggressively. That could have easily been a series-changer and helped the Golden Knights get back into the series.

Instead, Edmonton shored up its defense, and Skinner rose to the occasion, shutting out the Golden Knights twice to win the series. The best came on Wednesday, when the Oilers won 1-0 in overtime in one of the most exciting games of the postseason. The Oilers deserve a lot of praise for their tighter play, but they only scored four goals in two games. Skinner, meanwhile, was as dialed in as ever, and showed why Oilers fans still love him dearly.

In his last two starts, Skinner has a 3.9 GSAx – good for second-best in the NHL. If you’re not a fancy stats fan, just know that’s an excellent number. In comparison, Skinner’s -2.71 GSAx in his first two starts put him 12th of 14 goalies before he was swapped out. Small sample size, for sure, but Skinner’s game was a total disaster and a change needed to be done to save their season.

Few goaltenders deal with as much pressure and scrutiny as Skinner, and a lot of it is deserved. He hasn’t shown to be exceptionally reliable and his stats have been average at best. But Skinner has actually built a reputation for being quite clutch in closeout games – he’s 5-1 all time. Some goalies play better in high-pressure situations. Maybe that’s what Skinner needs.

“Hopefully it shuts a lot of people up that we’re talking about him first and foremost,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said after Game 5. “But we’ve always had belief in him. (He) comes in and pitches two shutouts. Can’t say enough good things.”

The 26-year-old’s surface numbers still aren’t great, and he only has two wins to his credit. But he made the most of it, and while he wasn’t swamped on Wednesday, he was especially clutch in the third period with nine saves. When you’re tested a lot, it’s easy to get cold and let a bad one in. Skinner didn’t.

A goalie’s mindset can be critical to a team’s success – or lack thereof. And in a big market like Edmonton, it’s easy to be surrounded by noise. Skinner lost his spot in the crease and only it got it back due to an injury. He didn’t let that opportunity go to waste. Now, the Oilers have two goalies who’ve played well enough to rack up wins, and that’s all that matters. You don’t need to be perfect to accumulate wins – you just can’t be the reason you lose.

The Oilers have shown they don’t need peak Andrei Vasilevskiy in net to win games. Just give them average goaltending and they’ll get the job done. Pickard was a perfect example of that during his hot run. His stats weren’t anything special, but he wasn’t costing them games like Skinner has been accused of in the past.

Shutouts are hard to come by in the playoffs. Doing it twice in the second round? Not too shabby. Skinner has no shortage of critics, and for good reason. But they’re quieter right now. Winning the second round is just half the battle – literally. There’s still a lot of hockey to be played if the Oilers are going to reach the summit.

Will Skinner be the one to take them there? It’s his net for now. But after everything he’s been through – with the fanbase seemingly loathing him – he delivered when the Oilers needed it most. Time to ride or die, baby.

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