Skinner backstopping Oilers after another mid-playoff reset

EDMONTON - Stuart Skinner had peeled off half of his equipment and was handed a headset.

The Edmonton Oilers goaltender answered questions during a television interview outside the team's locker room as fans situated in an adjacent dining area snapped pictures through a glass divider.

Occupying the crease for the NHL team in Alberta's capital probably feels like being in a fishbowl at times. 

Skinner knows that roller-coaster well — and is currently riding a high in the Western Conference final.

The 26-year-old has backstopped the Oilers to a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven matchup following Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Despite the lopsided score, the visitors carried play for long stretches, especially in a second period when the ice was severely tilted. Skinner, however, held the fort and finished with 33 saves to even his playoff record at 4-4 with Game 4 set for Tuesday back at Rogers Place.

It's been, quite frankly, feast or famine for the Edmonton native this spring.

He lost the net to backup Calvin Pickard in the opening round after a couple of bad outings put Edmonton in a 2-0 hole against the Los Angeles Kings.

Pickard then ripped off six straight wins, but was hurt Game 2 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Skinner, who was also replaced by Pickard for a stretch in last year's playoffs before helping lead the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, headed back into the fray after that recent reset and has hardly looked back.

The 26-year-old allowed one goal through his first four wins of the playoffs, joining Ilya Bryzgalov (2006), Ed Belfour (2004), Patrick Lalime (2002) and Felix Potvin (1994) as the only netminders to accomplish that feat since 1944.

He blanked Vegas in Games 4 and 5 to close out the Golden Knights, but surrendered five goals on 27 shots in the opener against Dallas on a night where the Oilers squandered a 3-1 lead in the third period.

The 78th pick at the 2017 draft, however, rebounded again with a 25-save shutout in Game 2 ahead of Sunday's showing.

"I'm proud of myself," said Skinner, who would have become the first goalie in NHL history with shutouts in his first four victories of a post-season. "I'm most proud of the effort I'm putting in."

The Oilers needed all of it in Sunday's second period when the Stars held a 10-1 edge in high-danger scoring chances, according to analytics website naturalstattrick.com.

"He was huge for us," Edmonton winger Evander Kane, who had three assists in Game 3, said following Monday's optional practice. "We needed him probably more than we would have liked to. If he can continue playing the way he's played down the stretch … we really, really like our chances." 

The Oilers play with more defensive structure than past iterations, but Skinner deserves a ton of credit with 104 saves on 105 shots against in his four post-season victories of 2025.

"It's been fun to watch him play the past few games," Edmonton blueliner Evan Bouchard said. "He's getting back to his game, playing with confidence."

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said that, much like last year, Skinner's ability to refocus is one of his greatest assets.

"To bounce back after a tough game, bad stretch, whatever it is, I've been very impressed," Knoblauch said. "He was able to recover well and work on some of the parts of his game, the technical side. But I've been very impressed with how even-keel he is. 

"Doesn't get too high or too low."

No easy task living in a hockey fishbowl.

EKHOLM, PICKARD CLOSE; BROWN TO SIT

Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who took part in Monday's optional skate, said he's getting closer to a return — potentially as early as Game 4.

"Probably one of the tougher things I've gone through in my hockey career," the 35-year-old, who hasn't played in the post-season due to an undisclosed injury, said of watching his team from the press box. "Never been hurt in the playoffs before, so having to go through this and knowing that it'd be a long stretch, it's nerve-racking. It's not fun, but the guys have done such a tremendous job."

Knoblauch said there's a chance Pickard could serve as Skinner's backup Tuesday.

Oilers winger Connor Brown, however, won't be available after taking a big hit from Stars defenceman Alexander Petrovic in Game 3.

"It's unfortunate he got hurt," said the bruising blueliner from Edmonton. "Just finishing my check. The game moves fast." 

HINTZ SPEAKS

Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said No. 1 centre Roope Hintz will again be a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. The Finn took a slash from Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse in the third period of Game 2 and didn't return.

He went out for warm-ups Sunday, but didn't participate in line rushes. Hintz, who didn't want to dwell on the Nurse incident when speaking with reporters, was on the ice with a handful of teammates at Monday's optional practice.

"You want to play every game, especially in the playoffs," he said. "I'm trying everything that I can."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.