Pre-Game Talk: Apparently Skinner is starting Game 2

[Zerotonine]

This management group didn’t even choose Skinner. Why are they so freaking tied to him??

They're tied to Schwartz who os the one tied to Skinner

 

[North]

Snowpants had some puck skill, Arvidsson has just been a paper bag filled with shit and then lit on fire.

Look let’s not slander paper bags filed with shit. At least the bag is holding the shit so it’s good for something.

Arvidsson is good for nothing.

 

[North]

Stu Skinner -6 though.

Man the Skinner bros suck shit.

 

[bone]

Stu Skinner -6 though.

Technically -1 since he was on the ice for 3 even strength goals for, and 4 even strength goals against.

 

[Oilhawks]

I wouldn’t be shocked if they start Skinner. Wrong decision but they’re delusional about this guy, so it is what it is. Hopefully some real change in the offseason

 

[Seth92]

You know someone brought up a good point on the main boards.

The kings need to score more goals then edmonton tonight and not chase skinner in doing so if he in fact does start. And honestly if that happens I think we are in series trouble

If the kings manage to win a close game 3-2 and skinner looks someone competent and we go down 2-0 that pretty much gaurnteed Stuart starts game 3 were he could have his epic collapse and we automatically are down 3-0 and on serious life support

Yes they know that as well the ball is completely in their court and they have lineup advantages against Knobhead. It is already a 2x winning bet for the Oilers to win Over/Under tonight and the Kings have a big chance to win on the under. Just like you said they need to give the Oilers management and coaching staff full hope in their team which a 2-1, or 3-2 win would accomplish. They know they can barely try and still score on Skinner so I expect them to bring it but not fully, so they can really kill us in game 3 if StupidStink#74 starts in net. Brilliant play that would completely baffle all of the dumb Oilers media and the even stupider Youtube guys who will make 4 videos a day about how the Oilers will win in 5, or 6, or win or lose in game 7. Either way they all get more content and clicks and smart people like you see right through the mirage.

If some Stu fans want, go all in and go double your money IF he makes more than 16 saves and keeps the goals under 2.5. He aint available on PA yet though but Kuemper is and the parlay odds of him making over 18.5 saves and keeping it under 2.5 goals is at 1.14x.... so yeah Stu Skinner fans go waste your money when we have confirmation cause that simple 2 leg parlay should be around a 1.7-2.5x (my estimate I aint some gambling god or anything I just like the correlation between the money and the fools who have no cents)

 

[bone]

If Arvdisson was a -2 or -3 would he have sat?

I'm not saying I like it, just that it's enough for KK based off his history. I think Arvidsson is beyond useless.

 

[Zerotonine]

Podkolzin was worse than both.

This. Skinner has been better then both. I get it they play opposite wings but how does Skinner play on his off side ?

 

[CrazyJoeDavola]

If true and Skinner shits the bed we may well have just put the final nail in our cup aspirations this season all of 2 games into the playoffs. IF he does start, he better be on a choke chain not a f***ing leash.

Terrible goaltending has put the nail in the coffin of McDrai getting a cup in general, tbh. We're going to have to hope for an ovechkin-esque miracle run 15 years into their career for them to have a shot, because this core is not good enough and this management team has set us back years.

 

[Seth92]

Technically -1 since he was on the ice for 3 even strength goals for, and 4 even strength goals against.

Still very very painful though ouch

 

[bone]

Neither of those two goals he allowed are saveable by the god of goaltending himself. Context is important. There were a lot of games he played this year where the team was trash in front of him and he had to hold down the fort shorthanded in one goal games. There was more than one like this against the Blackhawks alone.

Pickard also stood on his head in Game 5 and was pretty much the only reason the Oilers didn't get blown out and even had a chance to win that game. He stepped up and brought it even when his teammates decided to take a night off in what was arguably the worst game the Oilers played all playoff.

We don't need the 23 year old stud behind him, we just need someone that's going to give us some saves at the right time and I have infinitely more faith that Pickard can do that than Skinner at this point.

Holy hyperbole batman. I'm not opposed to him getting starts at all, just understand the call tonight. My point is Pickard isn't some god that will cure all that ails the Oilers and furthermore, he's wasn't very good against the Kings in his two starts (albeit with shitty line up in front of him), so the Kings would likely welcome the change as Skinner has at least had some quality starts against them over the last few years.

In fact his career stats vs. LA in regular season are 6-2-1, 1.91 and .941 save percentage. Post season not nearly as good, but has had some big games.

 

[MessierThanThou]

He also had Klefbom-Larsson in his first season, still Larsson in his 2nd and Keith in his third...

but back on topic: do you think that Smith was NOT prone to self-imploding? Because that is the statement that I made. His highs were way, way higher than Skinner is capable of, but his lows were far lower.

LOL. Keith was washed. He retired the next season. Utterly hilarious that you think you could trick anyone on here into thinking it was the same quality of player who won a Smythe and anchored a cap-era-dynasty. A faded Keith in no way, whatsoever, compares to Ekholm.

The overall team wasn't good enough to go on a longer run in 2020 and 2021, so you can't really compare those playoff runs with Stu's, but there's zero question that the 2023 and 2024 Oilers were a vastly better team defensively than the 2022 Oilers. Your attempt to argue otherwise is good for a laugh.

If you think Smith's lows are "far lower" than Stu's then you definitely missed the series against Vancouver.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

Still reeling from Game 1. The steal was right there, ice tilted and all. Fumbled by the dummy in net.
You can call it "just game 1" but Kings have life and confidence because of that single play. You had them, air out of the building, shells of themselves. Always making it harder than it needs to be.

Dramatic maybe, but I would call this bordering on a must win. You got to have the split coming home at minimum, and you cannot let the Kings hope and confidence grow any more.

 

[KCC]

Yeah, I’m not watching if stu starts. I’m done watching with this plug in net. I feel so bad for mcdrai. Any other team would have moved on from skinner ages ago. This team has to work 10x harder to try and bail this disaster out whenever he’s in net. Management is actually brain dead.

 

[29Beast97Mode]

Screw off Knob, why scratch Skinner over Podkolzin

 

[McTonyBrar]

Every one called Skinner sitting in favor of Kane. Fk knoblach is a fking moron

I'd rather have Kane playing. He has playoff experience and, if he comes in fully healed, he is much better than Skinner

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

If Mcdavid and Leon don't play together that is completely idiotic

 

[1981 Oilers]

 

[Oilhawks]

The Mike Smith commentary is pure revisionism, similar to Talbot.

Smith was abysmal, terrible in the 2022 series against the Avalanche. Allowed the winner on a Grade B in a tied Game 3 with minutes left, and was Swiss cheese in another winnable Game 4. One could argue he cost the Oilers both of those games single handedly. This was after allowing a tying goal from the opposite blue line against the Flames in Game 4 that he got bailed out of, and also after he collapsed completely the year before in Game 3 against the Jets.

Smith had his moments, but could implode with the best of them. By the end of the 2022 playoffs he was just done. Sadly we just replace goalies that collapse and blow games series with other goalies that collapse and blow games/series.

I mean, he was also 40 years old and one skate in retirement. Smith also carried a mediocre Yotes team to the WCF one time.

Skinner is “in his prime” and gets worse every year

 

[McTonyBrar]

This Arvidsson hate is hilarious. What did the poor guy do to you guys or to Skinner? He plays RW too. Doesn't Jeff play the Left?

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Knob is so stupid I guarantee if the kings get out to a 3 nothing lead in the first on like 8 shots he'll still let him finish the game. We keep hiring these coaches whose egos outweigh their coaching talents.

 

[McHelpus]

This Arvidsson hate is hilarious. What did the poor guy do to you guys or to Skinner? He plays RW too. Doesn't Jeff play the Left?

He's like Desharnais for the Canucks. A double agent. This is my conspiracy until he proves me otherwise.

 

[Canovin]

He's like Desharnais for the Canucks. A double agent. This is my conspiracy until he proves me otherwise.

Can't disagree with that. Nucks, Pens and Sharks all missed the playoffs.

 

[bone]

LOL. Keith was washed. He retired the next season. Utterly hilarious that you think you could trick anyone on here into thinking it was the same quality of player who won a Smythe and anchored a cap-era-dynasty. A faded Keith in no way, whatsoever, compares to Ekholm.

The overall team wasn't good enough to go on a longer run in 2020 and 2021, so you can't really compare those playoff runs with Stu's, but there's zero question that the 2023 and 2024 Oilers were a vastly better team defensively than the 2022 Oilers. Your attempt to argue otherwise is good for a laugh.

If you think Smith's lows are "far lower" than Stu's then you definitely missed the series against Vancouver.

Several of Smith's Game 1s were ridiculously bad, leading to the notion the team is terrible in Game 1s, but he tended to be good in Game 2 and 3, with setbacks in Games 4 and 5, then great again in Game 6 and 7 (though minuscule sample size)

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I'd rather have Kane playing. He has playoff experience and, if he comes in fully healed, he is much better than Skinner

I don't get the J. Skinner love. He doesn't battle hard or do too much out there. We could probably debate that a 4th line of Brown, Janmark, Skinner might be better than dressing Podkolzin, Perry or an injured Frederic but at this point it's a pretty even debate for all the listed players.

The fact people are bitching this hard about J.Skinner getting scratched for Kane shows they are not in true touch with reality or don't full understand the game.

It is true that Jeff Skinner has gotten the short end of the stick this year, but it's not like he's very good.