The majority of media and fans will likely admit Stuart Skinner has been in fine form of late, in the process playing a key role in helping the Edmonton Oilers vault right back into contention. He has a 7-3-0 record in his last 10 starts, in the process producing a .911 save percentage and 2.52 Goals Against Average (GAA).
Despite these recent displays, doubts and questions remain when it comes to the Oilers’ number one between the pipes, and with good reason. Harsh or not, he has a history of being inconsistent, resulting in there always being this feeling of impending doom in the back of the mind for the average Oilers fan, no matter how well he’s playing.
Heck, you only have to look at a couple of the 26-year-old’s performances in the aforementioned 10 starts, for evidence of how he’s still prone to self-capitulating. More specifically the games against the Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers, when he allowed a combined 11 goals and produced a lowly .796 save percentage.
This is quite simply not acceptable, particularly on home ice. As much as we don’t put all of the blame at Skinner’s feet — the Oilers’ defensive game has been lacking severely at times this season — he still hasn’t helped the cause, seemingly falling apart when things are going wrong in front of him.
At this point, let’s be clear in stressing that this article is not meant to be perceived as a ‘hit job’ on the Edmonton native. He’s extremely popular with his teammates, fans, the media, and NHL players in general.
Throw in the fact that potential-wise Skinner really is one of the best goalies in the league, and the majority of people are rooting for him. That’s a large part of why people become concerned and/or frustrated with him, because almost everyone knows what he’s capable of.
The 2023 NHL All-Star showed this during the latter stages of all four rounds of last season’s playoffs, with some displays which were truly outstanding. The only time this failed to translate into a win was ironically Game 7 versus the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, but even then it’s worth noting he only allowed two goals.
Again though, as much as last season’s playoffs showed what Skinner is capable of, they also showcased his inconsistency. He struggled to get going early on in each round, even resulting in coach Kris Knoblauch dropping him for Games 4 and 5 in the second round against the Vancouver Canucks.
That inconsistency reared its ugly head at the beginning of this season, as Skinner went 2-4-1 in his seven starts during October. Again allowing for the team collectively struggling out of the gates, he didn’t look good as he produced a 3.51 GAA and .872 save percentage.
In fairness though, the 2017 78th overall draft pick does always eventually get himself back on track. Following a disastrous start to last season, he ended up recording a career-high 36 wins, equalled his career-best GAA of 2.62 and finished with a respectable .905 save percentage.
Skinner’s mental fortitude is beyond reproach, with him providing a fascinating insight into his mindset last season. In fact, to the point of even saying that hearing boos from his own fans was part of the privilege and dream of being an NHL goaltender.
Given this type of resiliency, there was some surprise at how angry Skinner looked at the conclusion of a 7-3 win against the Canucks last month. This was totally out of character for him, although again how much his teammates think of him was on full display, as they attempted to placate and cheer him up during the postgame congratulations.
Now it may well have been a case of the goalie being frustrated at himself for letting his teammates down one too many times. Along these lines, he is likely well aware of the concerns felt by people, about how he is still prone to bouts of inconsistency.
