Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner got a chance to play again this post-season.
Skinner got the start in Game 3 since backup-turned-starter Calvin Pickard is out day-to-day. It was a chance at redeeming himself after going 0-2 to start the playoffs and watching from the bench as the Oilers won four straight games against the Los Angeles Kings and two straight against the Vegas Golden Knights.
But despite making some big saves at times, he lost again.
In what may have been one of the more improbable sequences of the playoffs so far, a last-minute centering attempt by William Karlsson ended up on Reilly Smith’s stick. He got a shot toward the net that deflected off Leon Draisaitl and into the Oilers’ net as Skinner tried to cut down the angle.
“Karlsson, he just threw it out there, which you knew he was going to do, and I thought (Smith) was going to shoot it right away,” Skinner said. “I thought he didn’t have that much time so I kind of just sprawled, went out there, stayed with him for another half second, and then he catches us with 0.4 seconds left. Devastating.”
Game 3’s loss can’t be hung entirely on Skinner. He did make several solid stops to keep Edmonton in Game 3, including a diving save on Tomas Hertl in the second period and a glove grab on a Grade-A chance from Nicolas Roy in the third.
But at the end of the game, Skinner allowed four goals on 24 shots for a .833 save percentage and a minus-1.69 goals saved above expected, according to moneypuck.com.
While Pickard has a 2.84 goals-against average and .888 save percentage for a 6-0 record this post-season, Skinner is 0-3 with a 5.36 GAA and .817 SP.
“That’s a goalie’s job to give your team a chance to win every night, right?” Skinner said. “I thought I did, but again, it was just a couple of tough bounces here and there. We had a great bounce that kind of went off a skate and went in (McDavid’s game-tying goal) – those types of things happen. I was happy to make a couple of big saves when we needed but again wasn’t able to finish it out.”
For The Edmonton Oilers, Corey Perry’s Not Getting Older, He’s Getting BetterWhen Corey Perry advanced the puck to Connor McDavid to set up Leon Draisaitl’s overtime winner in Vegas on Thursday, that marked the first time in NHL history that three Hart Trophy winners had ever combined for an overtime goal — in the regular season or the playoffs.
If Pickard can return from injury ahead of Game 4, it seems certain he’ll get a chance to go to 7-0 this post-season. If not, Stuart Skinner will have yet another shot at redemption.
“No matter what’s going to be happening in the future, I’m going to stay ready,” Skinner said. “Whenever they call my name, I’ll be ready to go in and just do my best out there.”
Avry Lewis-McDougall has more in his latest video column.
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