Penguins appear to be benching Stuart Skinner against the Edmonton Oilers
It doesn’t look like Stuart Skinner will be getting the start against the Edmonton Oilers in his return to the Alberta capital this week.
The Edmonton native is set to make his return to Rogers Place for the first time since being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last month. Skinner’s first start with the Penguins was an emotional one, as he lost to the Oilers and saw his ex-teammates celebrate Leon Draisaitl’s 1,000th point right in front of him.
Ever since that game, many Oilers fans have circled this Thursday on the calendar, as it is set to be Skinner’s first game back in Edmonton since the trade. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that the ex-Oilers goaltender would get the start in that game, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Penguins head coach Dan Muse announced Skinner would instead get the start against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, which likely means it will be Arturs Silovs getting the nod in Edmonton.
“I think with Stu, just based off of his play, his record coming off of the break, we’re going into the front end of the back-to-back, felt like he earned that right. So, that was the decision,” Muse said about starting Skinner in Calgary.
Muse confirmed Stuart Skinner will start tonight in Calgary.
He’ll be the first Penguins goalie to start back-to-back games since Tristan Jarry took three in a row from Dec. 1-7.
“Based off his play … going into the front end of a back-to-back, felt like he earned that right.” pic.twitter.com/s2FPERqT85
— King Jemison (@king_jemison) January 21, 2026
It’s been a strange start to Skinner’s tenure in Pittsburgh. He struggled to adapt to his new team early on, but has been stellar for the Penguins of late. Since Dec. 30, the 27-year-old goaltender has been fantastic, with a 5-1-0 record and a .931 SV% through six games.
The start in Calgary will mark the first time that a Penguins goalie has started in consecutive games since early December. Keeping him on the bench will be more about rest than recent performance.
Things have also gone much better for the Oilers since moving on from Skinner. Tristan Jarry has 4-1-1 record and .904 SV% through six games with the Oilers, while Connor Ingram has come up from the AHL and done a magnificent job with a 5-3-1 record and .917 SV% in nine games.
With Jarry having gotten the start for the Oilers against the Devils on Tuesday night, it does appear that neither goalie will face their former teams. Instead, we likely see Ingram get the nod for Edmonton, while Silovs tends the goal for the Penguins.
It’s disappointing that Oilers fans won’t get to see Stu in the crease on Thursday night, but there is bound to be some sort of tribute welcoming him back.