SUNRISE, Florida – Stuart Skinner has taken to reading novels to keep his mind off the sport of hockey and his work as an NHL goaltender, which entails getting in front of frozen rubber disks launched at him at speeds exceeding 90 mph.
Something has happened to send the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
Edmonton Oilers Goaltender Stuart Skinner’s Play Is The Biggest Uncertainty In The Stanley Cup Final
After three rounds of playoffs in which he has been, at times, unplayable to the point of being yanked and, at other times, practically untouchable, Skinner is the biggest question mark heading into the series, which begins Saturday night.
“My job’s simple just because I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I’ve just got to keep the puck out of the net and do my very best to do that,” Skinner said on Friday. “That’s the pressure that I take on is just being able to do my job at a very high level.”
Skinner has been terrible, especially since being benched and replaced by veteran backup Calvin Pickard in the second round against Vancouver. Since returning, he has gone 6-2 with a 1.81 goals-against average and.919 save percentage.
Before that? Skinner had a 3.23 goals-against average and a.877 save percentage, and the Oilers were fairly successful despite him.
“To have the mental strength to be able to bounce back and kind of put a bad game or a bad goal in the rearview mirror takes a lot,” said Florida backup Anthony Stolarz, who had a brief stint in Edmonton in 2019 as part of his tumultuous career. “You have to admire the way he’s been able to do that.”
Skinner admires Panthers starter Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goaltender who recently challenged Skinner to outduel Dallas’ Jake Oettinger in the Western Conference final.
“He’s a good goalie,” Bobrovsky added. “You won’t make the finals if you’re a lousy goaltender. He’s a solid positional goalie, and I believe he’s composed and has a sound head.”
It is a mind that has faced some challenges this season. If you thought his early playoff numbers were awful, they were far worse to begin the season: six losses in his first eight games, a 3.88 goals-against average, and a.854 save %.
Edmonton Oilers Goaltender Stuart Skinner’s Play Is The Biggest Uncertainty In The Stanley Cup Final
After being named an All-Star in 2023 and the league’s top rookie goalkeeper in his first season, Skinner was given the position in the fall when the team opted to place Jack Campbell on waivers and send him to the minors.
“Certainly, we believed in Stuart Skinner,” general manager Ken Holland stated. He’s one of the really good top young netminders in the game, and he took it from there.
Skinner won 35 of his last 51 appearances, easily clinching a playoff position.
“There hasn’t been very many poor performances, and when there has been a poor performance, he’s always responded,” Kris Knoblauch, the coach, said.
Handling the ups and downs taught Skinner a few things, including that his teammates have his back and that his internal ability to overcome hardship is stronger than he imagined.
“I’ve been able to bounce back and find myself, and finding that resiliency in myself is obviously something that I’m very proud of,” Skinner stated. “But it also teaches me that I am stronger than I believe I am. And I think that’s terrific, especially given where we are now.”
Edmonton Oilers Goaltender Stuart Skinner’s Play Is The Biggest Uncertainty In The Stanley Cup Final
He is now squarely in the spotlight as the hometown lad who grew up as an Oilers fan; only four wins away from bringing the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993. That drought predates his birth in ’98, and it’s not the kind of pressure he wants to bear at the pinnacle of his career.
But Skinner made it obvious at Cup final media day that he isn’t overwhelmed by the moment, having already played 123 regular-season games and 28 more in the playoffs. He was so nervous before his NHL debut that he couldn’t eat, and he’s treating this series like any other.
“It’s the same as the other rounds that we’ve played; it’s another round to try to win four games,” Skinner stated. “I’ll definitely be able to eat.”
