Skinner gives head-scratching answers to Edmonton Oilers goalie questions
The Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending is under the microscope once again after another poor start.
It must feel like dĂ©jĂ vu for the Oilers as questions continue to swirl around the goaltending tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. The team as a whole hasn’t been playing well, but the goaltending has been a complete train wreck once again.
Both Skinner and Pickard have posted sub-.890 save percentages through the first 15 games of the season, and the Oilers now rank 29th in the league in goals saved above expected (GSAx), according to TopDownHockey.
This would be surprising if it weren’t the same problem that has plagued this team in each of the last three seasons now. Skinner is still inconsistent, and Pickard is now regressing to the AHL goalie that he was when he first signed with the organization.
To say frustration is starting to boil over is an understatement, and it doesn’t appear that Skinner has many answers for his poor play. When asked about his game, following a 9-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche over the weekend, the Edmonton native gave a head-scratching answer.
“I feel like my game has been pretty consistent; it’s been pretty good, but I definitely got a lot of work to do,” Skinner said. “It’s really not about my save percentage, it’s about my win column, the team’s win column. That’s all that matters.”
"It’s time for us to really bring a bounce-back game."
Stuart Skinner speaks ahead of tonight’s #Oilers matchup vs. the Blue Jackets. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/41kR3X5GE4
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 10, 2025
There is a lot to unpack in those quotes, and it can be confusing to parse out exactly what Skinner meant. First off, it’s surprising that the Oilers’ goaltender chose the word consistent to characterize his play to start the season when that just hasn’t been the case whatsoever, unless he meant consistently mediocre.
Through the 11 games that he has played this season, Skinner has not been able to have two straight games with a save percentage over .900 and has only had three games in total above that mark. Every time he has put in a good performance, he has followed it up with an underwhelming one every time this season.
But so what if the save percentage is down if the only thing that matters is getting the two points and the victory? Well, that isn’t exactly going well for Skinner either, having just four wins thus far. He hasn’t even been consistent in that category either, as he has yet to string two victories in a row this year
SV% is not an end-all, be-all stat for a goaltender, but it’s an indication that he is failing to give Edmonton the league-average goaltending it desperately needs.
The Oilers are undefeated this season when they get a save percentage of .900 or higher. They just aren’t getting that kind of performance from either goaltender right now, and they haven’t been for the last couple of seasons now.
Skinner is a positive guy and tends to look on the bright side of things, but he has to confront the fact that he has not been good enough for this Oilers club. His play has not been consistent, and his individual performance is sometimes directly tied to team results.
He has had a ton of runway to prove himself, and he’s still being asked questions about earning the trust of his teammates. If he can’t figure it out, it’s time for Oilers management to finally pull the trigger on a move to shake up the goaltending.
It’s frankly a bit unbelievable that nothing has been done already.