Post-Game Talk: Maddening Matinee

[FiveFourteenSixOne]

Only 3 wins in his last 10.

Coincidentally, only 3 starts above .900 in that time frame.

In that span he's had an .862 save percentage, a 3.22 GAA, and a -0.83 GSAx/60. All while averaging only 23.6 shots against per game.

This stat line should be unbelievable, but anyone that has watched this absolute tire fire of a goalie play isn’t surprised.

The only unbelievable part is that he still has a couple of supporters on HF Oil.

 

[K1984]

Bouch hasn't been great but Bouch will win you games while Skinner will lose you games. Any talk of getting rid of Bouch is insane talk. I'm not suggesting we get rid of Skinner but he is NOT a starting goalie that will win you a championship.

I’m not suggesting we get rid of Bouchard, but I’m suggesting he’s held accountable to a far greater degree than a few shifts off after he pissed the Avalanche game into the wind.

It’s time for the “if this continues you’re out a game” talk. It’s been a full season of this stupidity so far and we won’t get past the first round if he’s this nonchalant in the playoffs.

 

[Soundwave]

Only 3 wins in his last 10.

Coincidentally, only 3 starts above .900 in that time frame.

In that span he's had an .862 save percentage, a 3.22 GAA, and a -0.83 GSAx/60. All while averaging only 23.6 shots against per game.

 

[Zerotonine]

Not sure I’ve seen a single comment yet blasting the team for generating a grand total of 2 shots on goal in the third period.

You know how when normal teams are down multi goals, but turn it on a generate shots due to “score effects?” We couldn’t even manage that. Just bent over and took it. Total give up, which is a black eye on the whole group.

But ya, all Skinner’s fault.

You mean a team who most likely called it quits after said goalie put it out of reach in the second period? Yeah I see your point.....

 

[brentashton]

The only unbelievable part is that he still has a couple of supporters on HF Oil.

Bingo. You always believe in your children.

But they probably shouldn’t be bleating about it incessantly on HFOil!!

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

All year the odd man breaks and wide open looks in the crease have been there, but they’re playing to Corsi and xG and those mistakes obviously don’t show up large in those metrics.

Will be interesting if Knoblauch and Coffey realize this is going to be a postseason issue and adapt things down the stretch.

This is player decision making and game management issue not necessarily a systems fail. It's hard to coach poor decisions under pressure and sadly recurring ones not under pressure. Strudwick on Got Yer Back today gives a good, tough love honest assessment of some of the small misreads happening with Bouchard (as one example of the small, critical moments when this team slips into poor decision making with high consequence situations).

I still believe this team needs another top 4 level Dman.

EDIT: Want to add I really like Bouchard. But he's happening a challenging year and facing a final development level up imo in which the league is now game planning against his lethal offensive toolkit. Pressure him and take away time and space to mitigate his weapon on the PP. We see some effect of this with zero PP goals, high shot volume with missed net and/or blocked shots. But this team collectively with own zone defending like today is a recipe for failure.

 

[Soundwave]

I’m not suggesting we get rid of Bouchard, but I’m suggesting he’s held accountable to a far greater degree than a few shifts off after he pissed the Avalanche game into the wind.

It’s time for the “if this continues you’re out a game” talk. It’s been a full season of this stupidity so far and we won’t get past the first round if he’s this nonchalant in the playoffs.

Take him off the top unit PP. Message will be sent and received especially in a contract year loud and clear.

 

[K1984]

You mean a team who most likely called it quits after said goalie put it out of reach in the second period? Yeah I see your point.....

If this group of supposed professionals decide to straight leg it for a period in a game that was still winnable (and after the goalie your blaming made several big saves in the third) because their goalie isn’t good then we should consider shipping guys off and starting over.

Of all the ridiculous Skinner blame “it’s his fault the whole group half assed it” is by far the most insane.

Take him off the top unit PP. Message will be sent and received especially in a contract year loud and clear.

It’s honestly no loss at this point either. He’s been straight trash on the power play going on 8 or so games now.

All on the back of zero PP goals for the year. He did cash a shorty for the Avs last game though, so at least there’s that.

 

[Zerotonine]

If this group of supposed professionals decide to straight leg it for a period in a game that was still winnable (and after the goalie your blaming made several big saves in the third) because their goalie isn’t good then we should consider shipping guys off and starting over.

Of all the ridiculous Skinner blame “it’s his fault the whole group half assed it” is by far the most insane.



It’s honestly no loss at this point either. He’s been straight trash on the power play going on 8 or so games now.

All on the back of zero PP goals for the year. He did cash a shorty for the Avs last game though, so at least there’s that.

How do people continue to defend Skinner day in amd day out esp aftwr a performance like today

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

[/QUOTE]

You mean a team who most likely called it quits after said goalie put it out of reach in the second period? Yeah I see your point.....

So this team quits on their teammates? That’s would be a much bigger concern

 

[Soundwave]

So this team quits on their teammates? That’s would be a much bigger concern

Every team does this at some point during an 82 game season, it's not a big deal.

 

[Mr Positive]

We were badly outplayed and outchanced. I don't think we can evaluate Stu Skinner based on what he had to work with. The worst I can say is that he needs some good performances before the deadline to turn around the narrative on him, and so this was a lost opportunity

 

[K1984]

How do people continue to defend Skinner day in amd day out esp aftwr a performance like today

Nobody is defending Skinner.

Just not comically blaming the piss poor effort of the 20 skaters in front of him on him.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Agreed but who is going to pick him up at $4M per year?

It might work if you throw in a draft pick(s) but the Oiler's prospect cupboard already looks like the 3 bears' shelves after goldilocks pigged out and had a snooze. Sooner or later they have to draft some decent prospects.

It would have to be as a cap dump in a deal for someone with a bigger salary. Gibson maybe?

 

[Bryanbryoil]

If Bouch doesn't bounce back tomorrow he might need to take a night off as a HS and see if that helps.

 

[VeteranPresence]

But ya, all Skinner’s fault.

This season’s middling results are almost entirely Skinner’s fault, yes:

There is no other reasonable conclusion one can draw from those numbers.

 

[Soundwave]

This season’s middling results are almost entirely Skinner’s fault, yes:

View attachment 980983

There is no other reasonable conclusion one can draw from those numbers.

He's a back-up goalie. It's just time to accept it and do something about it. He's had his chance after last playoffs to show he has grown as a goalie and he's shown nothing.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

This season’s middling results are almost entirely Skinner’s fault, yes:

View attachment 980983

There is no other reasonable conclusion one can draw from those numbers.

“Middling results”? Aren’t we like 3rd in the league and tied for first in the division?

 

[K1984]

This season’s middling results are almost entirely Skinner’s fault, yes:

View attachment 980983

There is no other reasonable conclusion one can draw from those numbers.

Skinner played 38 games today?

We’re taking about today’s game here, keep up.

If you want to pretend that the game in front of him was acceptable, then good for you. You’re delusional, but good for you.

ALL players sucked today. Nobody is saying Skinner was good, but plenty are solely blaming him which is frankly from another reality.

 

[Soundwave]

“Middling results”? Aren’t we like 3rd in the league and tied for first in the division?

I think he is referring to Skinner's season as middling, not the team. We're managing despite his trash season.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

If this group of supposed professionals decide to straight leg it for a period in a game that was still winnable (and after the goalie your blaming made several big saves in the third) because their goalie isn’t good then we should consider shipping guys off and starting over.

Of all the ridiculous Skinner blame “it’s his fault the whole group half assed it” is by far the most insane.

Fair or not, his last game saw him get pulled; he's also had a nice two week break where he had time to mentally re-set. He can't come out with that performance and expect to maintain the starter's net.

And although he got beat by several well placed shots, that doesn't excuse the fact he played several of those incredibly poorly. It's the November Leafs game all over again. where he wasn't putting himself in the best position to make the saves,: His footwork, angles, and reaction time all looked rec league level.


The issues that plagued him at the start of this season are still dogging him at the end of February; and he's more or less out of runway to get his season back on track.
He did that last year, where he was sitting at just under 910 at this point in 2024, but it becoming clearer that he won't this year, as he back under 900 for the season.

 

[barry halls]

If the Oilers don't make at least some move to get a 3rd goaltender (by the deadline) then that's on management and not on Skinner. I don't hammer on this guy every game but this "good in the dressing room" stuff has gotten old.

Agreed - I'm not a fan who blindly hates Skinner like some others here, and have no problem giving him his flowers when deserved. He was forced into the starters role prematurely, and that's on management. But there's just too much on the line at this point to decide that this tandem is good enough for McDavid and Draisaitl; the back-half of the McDrai era is alarmingly close.
I'm hoping that at the very least management is actively searching for ways to improve the goaltending, but so far all signs indicate that they aren't.

 

[iCanada]

We were badly outplayed and outchanced. I don't think we can evaluate Stu Skinner based on what he had to work with. The worst I can say is that he needs some good performances before the deadline to turn around the narrative on him, and so this was a lost opportunity

We were certainly outplayed, and out worked.

That said - the difference wasn't that stark in terms of quality and quantity of chances until after the Flyers potted their 5th goal, at which point the team clearly sagged, quit and were looking at tomorrow's game instead.

We're within 0.5 xGF until the Flyers got 5. Expected goals after the second period were 1.77 to 1.20. We certainly deserved to be losing, but we didn't deserve to be down 2, particularly after we had been lighting up Ersson offensively, too.

Sometimes bad goaltending deflates the team. You see it time and time again.

 

[VeteranPresence]

Skinner played 38 games today?

We’re taking about today’s game here, keep up.

If you want to pretend that the game in front of him was acceptable, then good for you. You’re delusional, but good for you.

ALL players sucked today. Nobody is saying Skinner was good, but plenty are solely blaming him which is frankly from another reality.

I am just going to keep posting Stu’s stats so you’re forced to look at them over and over while trying to continually blame everyone else for his shit play- today and all season. Even if you don’t change your mind it’s amusing to everyone else.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Throw that one in the trash. Minus a few players the team was terrible pretty much top to bottom. No boots, bad decision making, no defending and nobody goaltending.

On the positive side, Klingberg looks like he is trending well and Savoie with a nice debut.