Stuart Skinner is finally finding his game with the Oilers
Goaltending has once again become a hot topic for the Edmonton Oilers, but it’s been the least of the team’s problems lately.
While starting goaltender Stuart Skinner had an admittedly rough start to the season that saw him rank near the bottom of the league in both goals-saved-above-expected and save percentage, he has been playing some pretty good hockey recently.
Throughout his last five starts, Skinner has managed to record a save percentage of at least .930 four times. He has a 3-2-0 record over that span with a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild being the only time he let his SV% go under .900.
On Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, Skinner allowed just one goal on 16 shots but was let down by an Oilers’ offence that was blanked at the other end of the ice. The one goal against wasn’t pretty, but there is no way you can blame a 1-0 loss on the goaltender, no matter how bad that one goal against may be.
Skinner posted a .938 save percentage tonight after stopping 15/16 shots.
That is the fourth time in five starts that Skinner has had a SV% of at least .930#Oilers
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) December 4, 2024
This is very positive news for an Oilers team that has struggled to get consistent goaltending this season. It mirrors how Skinner performed last season as he also got off to a slow start and then started to find his groove as the calendar shifted into December.
What has become a bigger issue is Edmonton’s tendency to suddenly dry up offensively. Tuesday night should have been a victory in Vegas, but the team could not finish on any of their chances. This is an Oilers team that features some of the league’s most potent scorers, yet they have been shut out a total of four times in just 25 games.
As the team approaches the holiday break later this month, perhaps a perception shift is needed for this Oilers team. If Skinner keeps playing at this high level, some pucks will have to start going into the opposition’s net.