Edmonton Oilers coach had high praise for Jeff Skinner after solid game
The Edmonton Oilers may have dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Detroit Red Wings, but head coach Kris Knoblauch had high praise for at least one of his players.
It’s been a rough season for veteran sniper Jeff Skinner, but he was among the team’s best players on Thursday night. He scored his ninth of the year and had a brilliant backcheck late in regulation that helped the Oilers secure at least a point.
While those two plays were big, Knoblauch told the media after the game that Skinner was great all around the ice.
“Jeff made a lot of nice plays,” the head coach said. “Jeff has been great and just continuing to play like that he’ll warrant more opportunities.”
"Him not having training camp, missing a good portion of the regular season. Coming in tonight & playing against a team that's been playing pretty well lately, I thought John did a good job."
Coach Knoblauch on John Klingberg's #Oilers debut.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/fnUULOhX4y
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 31, 2025
On the surface, the goal did not look special as he swooped in on a broken play in front of the Detroit net to poke it into the empty cage. When asked about it after the game, Skinner tried to downplay it, but Knoblauch was impressed with how he managed to get in the right position.
“It looks like an easy goal to score, but he has a knack of getting lost, getting not picked up, and that’s a skill,” Knoblauch said.
The backcheck was also a thing of beauty and the type of defensive play he isn’t usually known for. It seems like Skinner is starting to add some more tools into his game as he shifts from being a top-six scorer to more of a depth scorer on this talented Oilers team.
“[Evan Bouchard] did a good job of slowing him down, made me look a bit faster than I was,” Skinner said with a smile. “It’s just working together there, he slows him down and gives me a good jump and we go back the other way.”
"That one I just kind of went to the net & put it in an open net. It's always nice to contribute, that's kind of part of my game."
Jeff Skinner on scoring for the #Oilers in his second straight game. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/e9oNuv5nDp
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 31, 2025
The hope for Skinner is this type of performance will keep him in the lineup. He scored against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday but was a healthy scratch for Monday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
This next matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs will surely be an energetic one.