Skinner overcomes early playoff struggles for Oilers with Game 4 shutout

EDMONTON -- Stuart Skinner bet on himself against the Vegas Golden Knights despite long odds considered by some.

The Edmonton Oilers goalie had a rough time in his first three games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs but took a huge step towards redemption with a 23-save shutout in a 3-0 win against the Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Place on Monday.

It was Skinner’s first win of the playoffs and Edmonton’s third of the best-of-7 series against Vegas. The Oilers lead the series 3-1 going into Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

“With the game of hockey there are so many things that can happen, that’s just professional sports, especially in my position,” Skinner said. “For me, I decided to play this position, so it’s completely my fault and for me to be in situations like this, I’ve been in them many times before and I’m going to be in them again. You can’t really tell the future so it’s about sticking to my process and just playing my game and doing my best out there.”

Going into the game, Skinner was 0-3 with a 5.36 goals-against average and .817 save percentage in the playoffs. He allowed six goals on 30 shots in a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round. He was then pulled in the third period after giving up five goals on 28 shots in a 6-2 loss in Game 2.

As a result, Skinner lost the starting role to Calvin Pickard for Game 3 of that series and watched the Oilers go on to eliminate Los Angeles in six games before taking a 2-0 lead against Vegas in the second round.

However, the 26-year-old returned to the crease in Game 3 after Pickard sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-4 overtime win in Game 2. Skinner allowed four goals on 24 shots, including the game-winner from Reilly Smith with 0.4 seconds remaining, in a 4-3 loss.

“It’s great to see him come out of that and just be him,” said Oilers forward Adam Henrique, who scored two goals in the win. “We all face pressure, but to be a No. 1 goalie in a market like this, there’s probably extra pressure. It comes from all angles I’m sure, and to see him struggle and [Pickard] goes in and plays great, and we go on a run, we have to be ready, and he did his job when he wasn’t playing.”

Skinner has been in this situation before.

Last season he backstopped the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final after being relieved by Pickard for two games in the second round against the Vancouver Canucks.

The layoff was longer this time because of how well Pickard played and the fact Edmonton was winning.

Now, with Pickard out day to day, the onus falls back on Skinner to try and help Edmonton get back into the Western Conference Final for the third time in four seasons.

“Stu is an outstanding goalie, and you knew any time he has a bad game or with time off he usually comes back with a really solid game,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “There’s only so many times that he’s not going to stand on his head or go a long period of time without having a game like that. We knew it was coming, and he made some really good saves, especially early on when we had a lead and had all those penalty kills in the first period. Not only did he make all the saves, but I thought he looked very confident doing it.”

Edmonton can be a tough city on goalies. The fans once turned on Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr, who won the Stanley Cup five times with the Oilers.

Skinner said he blocked out all the negativity during his struggles.

“What outside noise?” Skinner smiled. “I have no idea. No clue what’s going on.”

Skinner has been in the hot seat since taking over the starting role from Jack Campbell as a rookie in 2022-23, when he went 29-14-5 in 50 games (48 starts) with a 2.75 GAA, .914 save percentage and one shutout. He played in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, was named to the All-Rookie Team and was a Calder Trophy finalist for rookie of the year, won by forward Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken.

Last season, Skinner had a 14-9 record in the playoffs with a 2.45 GAA, .901 save percentage and one shutout. This season, he was 26-18-4 in 51 games (50 starts) during the regular season with a 2.81 GAA, .896 save percentage and three shutouts.

Still, after two outings where he didn’t get much help in front of him with Edmonton returning a number of players back from injuries, Skinner had to battle to regain his confidence and silence disgruntled fans.

“You always have to look inside yourself in a situation like this,” Skinner said. “The numbers are what they are, but numbers don’t really matter, especially in playoffs. The biggest thing is just trying to give your team a chance to win. If you let in five and it’s a 5-5 game going into OT, you’re giving your team a chance to win. Honestly, it doesn’t really bother me. It’s about the wins.”