Oilers' Skinner accidentally had to wear the same suit for a week
While Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner might have been taking the NHL by storm, he hasn’t exactly had the most versatile wardrobe over the past three games.
Edmonton headed to Los Angeles last weekend for a series-clinching Game 6 over the Kings last Saturday, and then stayed in California for a few days before heading to Vegas for last Wednesday’s Game 1 against the Golden Knights.
Skinner apparently didn’t get the memo the team would be still on the road, and well, got stuck with just a single suit to wear to the rink over the past week.
“We just told a story on Stuart Skinner who only took one suit on the road because he didn’t realize team wasn’t going home after LA series,” Sportsnet’s Gene Principe tweeted on Saturday.
We just told a story on @ssskipy_74 who only took one suit on the road because he didn't realize team wasn't going home after LA series. He also kept the broken stick from game 6 vs LA. A reminder for @EdmontonOilers netminder to be resilient.
— Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) May 7, 2023
Skinner, who was named a Calder Trophy finalist earlier this week as one of the NHL’s top rookies, has a 4-3 record in eight games with a goals against average of 3.32 and a save percentage of .895 so far during the playoffs.
A fluke incident during that Game 6 against the Kings last Saturday actually almost sent Skinner and his lone suit back home to Edmonton.
With his team up 4-3 in the third period, a routine clearance from goalie Stuart Skinner ended up as the tying goal in the back of Edmonton’s net by the stick of Phillip Danault.
And while some goalies might want to put such a moment past them, Skinner’s been taking in stride.
“He also kept the broken stick from game 6 vs LA. A reminder for [the Edmonton Oilers’] netminder to be resilient,” Principe added.
Edmonton eventually pulled off the win by way of a late third-period goal from Kailer Yamamoto to clinch the win, but it wasn’t without a bit of sweat for Edmonton and their fans.
"I'm going to keep it as a souvenir, kind of as a reminder that it doesn't come easy."
Stuart Skinner discusses why he kept the stick that broke on him in Game 6 of the First Round against the Kings. pic.twitter.com/0Xt0ODdH6j
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 7, 2023
“I’m going to keep it as a souvenir, kind of as a reminder that it doesn’t come easy,” Skinner told reporters postgame.
If Oilers fans were having that old “here we go again” feeling when that goal went in, well, they weren’t alone.
“I was having flashbacks to Game 4 against Calgary last year,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said last week of the infamous gaffe from Mike Smith where he allowed a goal from the other side of the ice. “It’s good that we’ve been in that situation before where a weird one goes in when you feel like you’re doing a lot of good things.”
Skinner, his broken stick, and his one suits returns home to Rogers Place on Monday night, when the Oilers host the Golden Knights for Game 3 of the series at 6:30 pm MT.
Follow Channels and Categories