Oilers yank Skinner after falling down by three after one period

When the Edmonton Oilers signed goaltender Jack Campbell last summer on a five-year, $25 million contract, they envisioned him being the kid of guy who would be relied on in a key playoff game.

They probably just didn’t imagine his Oilers playoff debut coming like this, as a mid-game substitution for 24-year-old goalie Stuart Skinner in Game 4 of the Oilers’ opening round series against the Los Angeles Kings.

Falling behind 3-0 with starting Skinner letting in three goals on just 11 shots on Sunday night in Los Angeles, Campbell was put into the game to start the second period by Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft.

Campbell had a record of 21-9-4 in 36 games with a goals against average of 3.41 and a save percentage of .888 for the Oilers this season, as Skinner surpassed him on the depth chart — unofficially early in the season — before eventually getting the majority of the team’s started by the midway point of the year. Skinner was 29-14-5 in 50 games with a goals against average of 2.75 and a save percentage of .913 for the Oilers this season.

Of course, Campbell is no stranger to playing in Los Angeles, as he had a a 20-24-5 record in 57 games with a goals against average of 2.51 and a save percentage of .918 for the Kings in his career from 2016-2020 before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

At press time, the Oilers were trailing 3-2 midway through the second period by way of Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl’s goals within ten minutes of the goalie switch.