History appeared to be repeating itself.
In Stuart Skinner’s first start ,the Edmonton Oilers rallied to tie the game late and appeared headed for overtime. Suddenly, the goaltender yielded a devastating last-moment goal. In Game 4, with Skinner facing unrelenting waves of doubt and criticism, the Oilers produced their worst effort of the postseason, losing 6-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of their first-round series.
Called upon to replace an injured Calvin Pickard for Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Skinner allowed a soul-crushing last-minute goal that left people not only questioning his ability heading into Game 4, but also if the Oilers were capable of playing a solid game in front of him.
Question no longer.
In Game 4, Skinner turned aside each of the 23 shots he faced Monday night, recording a 3-0 shutout victory to give the Oilers a 3-1 series lead heading back to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Wednesday.
Perhaps more importantly, his teammates dominated and demoralized the visiting Knights from the opening puck drop, taking a lead less than 90 seconds in and clamping down defensively to help their goalkeeper secure the shutout and silence the critics. No need for any comeback adult heroics in this one, just smooth sailing as the Oilers signalled their legitimacy to the rest of the league.
The playoffs are a perspective-warping emotional rollercoaster at the best of times. During the worst, they can leave even level-headed fans to shriek about the sky falling, particularly after a last-minute (or last-second) goal that leaves them scrambling to assign blame.
However, Stuart Skinner was the one who carried the Oilers to Game 7 agains the Florida Panthers last spring, and despite his pedestrian regular season numbers (2.81 GAA, .896 SP) and gaudy playoff statistics (3.95 GAA, .858 SP) the Oilers once again find themselves breathing a sigh of relief and taking control of a playoff series.
The shutout performance has a three-pronged effect: boosting Skinner’s confidence, muffling even the most vocal doubters, and allowing the Oilers to let Pickard fully recover without being tempted to rush him back into action.
It was Pickard who was Skinner’s biggest cheerleader in the locker room following the game, and the winning netminder was asked about their relationship and the dual roles they’re forced to play as both teammates and competitors for the blue ice.
“It has been an amazing ride with him the last two years. Everything we have gone though, makes you closer,” Skinner said. “It takes a lot of character to show each other support, maybe when one guy isn’t in the best situation. It (his cheering) shows everyone his character and how much he cares about me. It isn’t fake and it is the same the other way around. There is no facade there, it is just two guys battling for each other and supporting each other.”
Regardless of who’s between the pipes going forward, if the group in front of him can replicate Monday’s performance in Game 5 the Oilers can sit back and wait for their eventual foe in the Western Conference Final, because Vegas will be history.
