Skinner's play builds Oilers' confidence
Goaltender was brilliant in last two games on the road to give club 3-1 lead over L.A.
EDMONTON — The name on the back of his jersey says Skinner, but he might as well have a home one with Jekyll and an away one that reads Hyde, the way this Western Conference playoff round has been going.
That is, if Jekyll was a reliable goaltender who gives his team a chance to win night in and night out and Hyde was a brick wall built in front of the net.
Stuart Skinner has been the difference so far in the Edmonton Oilers taking a 3-1 advantage in their opening round series against the Los Angeles Kings. And as good as the second-year netminder was in Games 1 and 2 in Edmonton, he damn well played close to perfect in Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles.
While splitting the first two games at home, Skinner had nine goals against and made 54 saves for a .857 save percentage, as the Oilers won 7-4 then lost 5-4 in overtime.
He followed that up with two wins in Los Angeles where he made 60 saves and allowed one goal for a .983 save percentage and earned the first playoff shutout of his career, winning 6-1 and 1-0.
“It creates a lot of trust in you, of course,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said of Skinner's latest performance. “We did our part as players by defending well and being on the right side of the puck.
“But other teams are good too, and they're going to create some chances every once in a while. Knowing that Stewey's back there holding the fort down is obviously a great feeling.”
As good as his defence has been in front of him, Skinner was the victim of more than a few bounces that went L.A.'s way early in the series, contributing to at least two goals against in the opener and, it could be argued, the overtime winner by Anze Kopitar on an accidental breakaway in Game 2.
But Skinner continued to reflect inwardly on what went wrong, rather than point any blame elsewhere.
“He takes accountability, ownership,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “Just whatever happens to him, he is able to roll with it and get focused.
“For a young player, he's able to get ready for the next shift or the next play or the next save in his situation. And just his demeanour exudes confidence in the rest of the team.”
And they know whatever version of Skinner shows up in Game 5 on Wednesday (8 p.m., Sportsnet), they can win with him and put away the series on home ice.
“You know L.A.'s going to come out hard, especially with what they're facing right now,” Skinner said. “As a group, we've just got to make sure that we're ready for tomorrow night. It's going to be a game that we've got to definitely make sure that we're prepared for.”
Skinner has been in this position before, having closed out a firstround series against the Kings in six games as a rookie last year.
“Obviously, we were able to go through that experience last year,” he said. “This year is going to be, I would imagine, a much different experience, just like how it already has been through the series. So it's definitely something to note, that we are a team that knows how to win, just like we showed in the series. We know how to win high-scoring games, we know how to win low-scoring games as well.”
Last year, the Oilers were known for having two guys and a power play. This year, Skinner's goaltending, along with the efforts of backup Calvin Pickard, have played more of a factor in the team's identity heading into the playoffs. An overall upgrade to the all-around defensive effort has also helped.
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence that we know how to defend as well as we did,” Skinner said of Sunday's shutout, which he credits every bit as much to his teammates.
“I think that was a huge feat. And I also think that, especially in the third period, L.A. turned it on. They definitely had their pushes and for the guys being able to block shots and do whatever it takes to get the win, I think it's a big confidence booster. It shows ourselves that we know how to win those types of games.”
And in doing so, they beat the Kings at their own slow-paced, trapstyle game where they awaited their chances.
“For us to stay patient, especially against the Kings, is really important because, obviously, they're an incredible team and stifling defensively,” Skinner said. “They're a strong D-core and the other night in moments you saw we had to be patient.
“And being able to get that power play goal was obviously massive for us.”