"Wasn't fair on him": Oilers' Knoblauch admits mistake in starting Skinner

The Edmonton Oilers chose to sit out their top seven leading scorers heading into Game 82 last night versus the Colorado Avalanche.

The decision made sense, as the game had zero meaning in terms of standings, which allowed for the Oilers to rest their top stars in hopes of a lengthy playoff run. What made absolutely no sense, however, was the fact that head coach Kris Knoblauch chose to go with Stuart Skinner as his starting goalie.

The Avalanche played all their regulars, which resulted in Skinner getting absolutely shelled in the early going. The 25-year-old allowed four goals on 13 shots before being given the mercy pull in a game that ended as a 5-1 loss.

Oilers fans, and even some former NHL players, quickly began to question why he hadn’t instead played the night prior with their full lineup against the Arizona Coyotes.

Oilers decision to start Skinner tonight is mind blowing 🤯

— Eddie Lack🇸🇪🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@eddielack) April 19, 2024

The big fella is wondering why the #Oilers put Stuart Skinner between the pipes tonight… #EdmontonOilers | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/WuwO3PRLiu

— Missin Curfew (@MissinCurfew) April 19, 2024

Nothing like putting your starting goalie through an existential crisis right before the playoffs

— Hank Hill, Kell of Propane (@kell_hank_hill) April 19, 2024

the entire process was insanity

— Supreme Cardinal 🦅🔺 (@91YoungCardinal) April 19, 2024

He should be furious at that decision to massacre himself right before playoffs but giving everyone else the night off

— 44 (@canuckinsanity) April 19, 2024

Perhaps it can simply be chalked up to having a rookie coach, as Knoblauch admitted postgame that he made a mistake.

“It wasn’t fair for him. Very difficult,” Knoblauch said. “Before [the game] we had planned on how much he was going to play, and the chances he saw wasn’t a very structured game. The chances were point-blank changes that are very difficult for the goalie. Not easy for him.”

While it may not matter in the grand scheme of things, Oilers fans are left hoping that Skinner’s confidence wasn’t dwindled from last night’s performance. If this team has any chance at a Stanley Cup this year, they will need him to be far better than he was last postseason, where he put up a disappointing 3.68 goals against average (GAA) along with a .883 save percentage (SV%).

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