Player Discussion Stuart Skinner

[Soundwave]

The only way the Oilers are winning a cup with Stu in net is if they play that all in defensive system they played during the streak. Stu does not have the stamina to face high quality chances for 4 rounds in the playoffs. He doesn't steal you many games, Roloson and Cujo flat out stole games.

Talbot even did in 2017 too.

He gave the Sharks nothing through 3 games even though our offense was inept (McDavid/Drai were not clicking).

We scored 5 goals in the first 3 games (not even 2 goals per game) and somehow had a 2-1 lead anyway, lol. He shut the Sharks out twice in a row.

Then on the road in Anaheim I believe he was a big part of us going up 2-0.

Since then we haven't had great goaltending in a playoffs overall. Smith was good in the LA series, but not great in the Calgary or Colorado series'.

 

[oilexport]

I see Skinner as a 1b for this team (serious contender). Things will get tough again in the playoffs. We are not really built for playoff hockey. Get a proven number 1 goalie, and a lumberjack to help with D as well.

 

[elmeroil]

Talbot even did in 2017 too.

He gave the Sharks nothing through 3 games even though our offense was inept (McDavid/Drai were not clicking).

We scored 5 goals in the first 3 games (not even 2 goals per game) and somehow had a 2-1 lead anyway, lol. He shut the Sharks out twice in a row.

Then on the road in Anaheim I believe he was a big part of us going up 2-0.

Since then we haven't had great goaltending in a playoffs overall. Smith was good in the LA series, but not great in the Calgary or Colorado series'.

Yes it's huge to have a goalie that can really elevate and help bail the team out in crunch time. Roli was so good in 06, I just don't see Stu stealing games when counted on. If he does, I'll be really happy though

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yes it's huge to have a goalie that can really elevate and help bail the team out in crunch time. Roli was so good in 06, I just don't see Stu stealing games when counted on. If he does, I'll be really happy though

Why does he have to steal games for the team? Are we not contenders?

 

[elmeroil]

Why does he have to steal games for the team? Are we not contenders?

Weird question, goalies need to steal some games in the playoffs it's just how it goes

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Weird question, goalies need to steal some games in the playoffs it's just how it goes

If we're good enough we don't have to rely on that.

How many games have goalies stolen for us in the playoffs the last few years?

 

[elmeroil]

If we're good enough we don't have to rely on that.

How many games have goalies stolen for us in the playoffs the last few years?

That's my point, how many cups have they won in the last few years? A goalie has to steal some games to win a cup, this isn't a new thing. And who said they're good enough to win without that? They aren't

 

[Canovin]

If we're good enough we don't have to rely on that.

How many games have goalies stolen for us in the playoffs the last few years?

One of the reason we lost every playoffs since 2017 was we got out goalied. Hellebuyck, Crawford, Francouz, Hill. So no we are not good enough if our goalie cannot steal games.

 

[CupofOil]

Problem is he’s continued that wild inconsistency into this season.

So what's the solution then? Outside of maybe 7 goalies, the entire league is filled with highly inconsistent goalies.
Even out of those 7 goalies, you know what Jake Oettingers' save pct. is this season? Yep, lower than Skinner's. Ok, it's just a small sample size of this season. You know what his playoffs save pct. was? .895
Shesterkin. You know what his save pct, is this season? Yep, lower than Skinner's.
You know what Helleybuck's playoff stats were? .886 save pct.
Demko was poor last season etc. etc.
Even the elite goalies are voodoo at times. Not saying I'd take Skinner over these guys, just illustrating that inconsistency with goalies is an issue leaguewide.

Sure, find a more proven backup than Pickard but who are you bringing in that's a clear upgrade on Skinner?
Skinner, in the entirety of this season, has been an above average #1 goalie even included the poor start in which the entire team cratered including the best player in the world. Bring in a better backup I suppose whoever that might be but Skinner is the guy they should go to war with unless you can find me a realistic upgrade available.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

That's my point, how many cups have they won in the last few years? A goalie has to steal some games to win a cup, this isn't a new thing. And who said they're good enough to win without that? They aren't

Not really, the Avalanche completely bulldozed the competition when they won the Cup. They've proven you don't need a top flight goalie to win it all, or even one that can steal games.

One of the reason we lost every playoffs since 2017 was we got out goalied. Hellebuyck, Crawford, Francouz, Hill. So no we are not good enough if our goalie cannot steal games.

There's only so many times this excuse is going to work. Hellybuick and the Jets got creamed by the Habs. The Hawks were rightly exposed by the Knights, and we most certainly didn't lose that Avalanche series based on goaltending even if Smith sucked. The fact of the matter is that the team wasn't good enough in any of those series even though 3/4 of those we would've won had we played better.

Did the Oilers not just go through a stretch where they gave up two goals or less in several consecutive games?

Hell, Hellybuick got blown up by the mighty Calgary Flames. The Canucks gave up double digits to the Wild. Consistently blaming goaltending is a shoddy excuse for poor play.

 

[Canovin]

Not really, the Avalanche completely bulldozed the competition when they won the Cup. They've proven you don't need a top flight goalie to win it all, or even one that can steal games.


There's only so many times this excuse is going to work. Hellybuick and the Jets got creamed by the Habs. The Hawks were rightly exposed by the Knights, and we most certainly didn't lose that Avalanche series based on goaltending even if Smith sucked. The fact of the matter is that the team wasn't good enough in any of those series even though 3/4 of those we would've won had we played better.

Did the Oilers not just go through a stretch where they gave up two goals or less in several consecutive games?

Hell, Hellybuick got blown up by the mighty Calgary Flames. The Canucks gave up double digits to the Wild. Consistently blaming goaltending is a shoddy excuse for poor play.

What does the other series have to do with the Oilers series? We got out-goalied and that was the end of it.

We probably beat the Avs if Kruemper stayed in net.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

What does the other series have to do with the Oilers series? We got out-goalied and that was the end of it.

We probably beat the Avs if Kruemper stayed in net.

We weren't beating the Avs, dude. They creamed us.

It's always "we got out goalied"... And yet in a decisive game 7 against the Kings the Oilers overcame the heroics of Johnathan Quick to win the series. I remember watching Flames/Oilers game 3 and Markstrom was doing everything in his power to win the Flames the game... But the Oilers took them to the woodshed and beat the piss out of the Flames.

If you outplay your opponent consistently you'll win. You wanna know why the Oilers lost that Vegas series? When Adin Hill came in fresh as a daisy the Oilers refused to attack him and allowed him to get comfortable, and the rest is history. They should've been all over him but they weren't.

 

[Canovin]

We weren't beating the Avs, dude. They creamed us.

It's always "we got out goalied"... And yet in a decisive game 7 against the Kings the Oilers overcame the heroics of Johnathan Quick to win the series. I remember watching Flames/Oilers game 3 and Markstrom was doing everything in his power to win the Flames the game... But the Oilers took them to the woodshed and beat the piss out of the Flames.

If you outplay your opponent consistently you'll win. You wanna know why the Oilers lost that Vegas series? When Adin Hill came in fresh as a daisy the Oilers refused to attack him and allowed him to get comfortable, and the rest is history. They should've been all over him but they weren't.

Markstrom aside from game 1 was great. Sure we broke him after that. Mike Smith stood on his head thru LA and Calgary series tho. Something Skinner couldn't do. He single handedly tried to lose the series against LA and Vegas. As far as I remember Vegas series, Hill won them the series with the ref and league helping them as well. Otherwise the Oilers matched firepower with Vegas firepower

 

[GMofOilers]

The only reason we got by LA was cause Campbell came in relief and stole a game.

He almost stole game 5 against the knights not allowing a goal in relief but the hole Skinner left was to deep allowing 4 on 20 shots.

Skinner really shit the bed last spring, one of the worst goaltending preformances you will ever see. He alone costed the oilers a Stanley cup.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Markstrom aside from game 1 was great. Sure we broke him after that. Mike Smith stood on his head thru LA and Calgary series tho. Something Skinner couldn't do. He single handedly tried to lose the series against LA and Vegas. As far as I remember Vegas series, Hill won them the series with the ref and league helping them as well.

He absolutely was not great by any measure. He played well in game 3, I'll give you that but we made him our collective bitch. Even Flames fans were wondering why Sutter refused to put in someone else by the end of the series.

And no, Mike Smith didn't stand on his head either. He was fine during the LA series, he was very average during the Calgary series (let's not forget he let in that long bomb from the opposing circles along with getting torched in games 1 and 5) before the Avs finished his career off.

Hill was great because the Oilers let him get comfortable. If you think I'm joking about this, go watch the first two periods of the last game. The Oilers should've hammered a goalie making his first NHL start but they didn't until the third. The Oilers always do this. A goalie comes in off the bench and the Oilers just... do nothing.

Nurse/Ceci got cooked hard, the offense went dormant, and yes the goaltending wasn't great. Putting the blame on only Skinner is silly. And anyone who thinks Campbell wins us the series is an absolute moron as his NHL career is likely toast.

 

[Canovin]

He absolutely was not great by any measure. He played well in game 3, I'll give you that but we made him our collective bitch. Even Flames fans were wondering why Sutter refused to put in someone else by the end of the series.

And no, Mike Smith didn't stand on his head either. He was fine during the LA series, he was very average during the Calgary series (let's not forget he let in that long bomb from the opposing circles along with getting torched in games 1 and 5) before the Avs finished his career off.

Hill was great because the Oilers let him get comfortable. If you think I'm joking about this, go watch the first two periods of the last game. The Oilers should've hammered a goalie making his first NHL start but they didn't until the third. The Oilers always do this. A goalie comes in off the bench and the Oilers just... do nothing.

Nurse/Ceci got cooked hard, the offense went dormant, and yes the goaltending wasn't great. Putting the blame on only Skinner is silly. And anyone who thinks Campbell wins us the series is an absolute moron as his NHL career is likely toast.

This is how many save Mike Smith had to make in the LA series from game 1 to game 7. 30, 44, 42, 38, 30, 29.

Calgary series game 1 to 7. Smith shat the bed in game 1 and Kosko came in relief of it tho. 10, 37, 32,29, 32

So yes, Mike Smith help steal the series.

Skinner was pulled 4 times and it's not his fault? Campbell game in relief and put up .961 SV under the same coach, system and defense. Who knows what would happen if we played Campbell all the way but Skinner wasn't it.

 

[mkatcherin00]

The only reason we got by LA was cause Campbell came in relief and stole a game.

He almost stole game 5 against the knights not allowing a goal in relief but the hole Skinner left was to deep allowing 4 on 20 shots.

Skinner really shit the bed last spring, one of the worst goaltending preformances you will ever see. He alone costed the oilers a Stanley cup.

Guys went cold, but hard to argue. He put up a top ten worst performance of all time stats wise.

He was also a rookie too, so I feel for him

Screwing up the Campbell signing puts this team in such a hole. 5 million in potential upgrades just being wasted.

If this team is serious, you trade him with a future first to get rid of the contract

Skinner is only fine if this team plays almost perfect D, like they did in the streak.

They have to commit or they are not winning anything. Can't be loosy goosy with him back there

He did make some great saves during the streak and helped us win a couple for sure. He is too slow for my liking though. He is easy to beat when you get him moving and he has a hard time swallowing pucks

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

This is how many save Mike Smith had to make in the LA series from game 1 to game 7. 30, 44, 42, 38, 30, 29.

Calgary series game 1 to 7. Smith shat the bed in game 1 and Kosko came in relief of it tho. 10, 37, 32,29, 32

So yes, Mike Smith help steal the series.

Skinner was pulled 4 times and it's not his fault. Campbell game in relief and put up .961 SV under the same coach, system and defense. Who knows what would happen if we played Campbell all the way but Skinner wasn't it.

Mike Smith was better than Markstrom but that's not really saying much. Both goalies were not very good and Colorado was more than happy to take advantage. Mike Smith rightly retired after that year. if Calgary wins game 4 after that dreadful long bomb they probably go on to win the series.

As for Skinner, the thing people seem to forget in regards to him is that he's not supposed to be the starter at this point in his career. He's supposed to be coming along slowly while Campbell handles the load but Campbell can barely crack it in the AHL. If anything's to be blamed for the Oilers not winning the Cup it's whoever scouted Campbell and decided that he should be the guy.

The reason the Oilers beat LA twice and Calgary was because they were the better team when it counted. They were not the better team against Vegas and especially not against Colorado.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

He absolutely was not great by any measure. He played well in game 3, I'll give you that but we made him our collective bitch. Even Flames fans were wondering why Sutter refused to put in someone else by the end of the series.

And no, Mike Smith didn't stand on his head either. He was fine during the LA series, he was very average during the Calgary series (let's not forget he let in that long bomb from the opposing circles along with getting torched in games 1 and 5) before the Avs finished his career off.

Hill was great because the Oilers let him get comfortable. If you think I'm joking about this, go watch the first two periods of the last game. The Oilers should've hammered a goalie making his first NHL start but they didn't until the third. The Oilers always do this. A goalie comes in off the bench and the Oilers just... do nothing.

Nurse/Ceci got cooked hard, the offense went dormant, and yes the goaltending wasn't great. Putting the blame on only Skinner is silly. And anyone who thinks Campbell wins us the series is an absolute moron as his NHL career is likely toast.

Hill was better than Skinner and outplayed him by a large margin...this isn't even a debate
Oilers had leads in both Game 5 and 6, out hooting the Knights in both games...heck the shots are 40 to 22 in Game 6
but Hill made big save after big save

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Hill was better than Skinner and outplayed him by a large margin...this isn't even a debate
Oilers had leads in both Game 5 and 6, out hooting the Knights in both games...heck the shots are 40 to 22 in Game 6
but Hill made big save after big save

I'm not debating that Hill was better than Skinner. I'm debating that the Oilers weren't good enough in the series and should've pressured Hill when he came in. Blaming Skinner only is a copout when the offense dried up and our top pairing got torched for basically the entire series.

 

[Canovin]

Mike Smith was better than Markstrom but that's not really saying much. Both goalies were not very good and Colorado was more than happy to take advantage. Mike Smith rightly retired after that year. if Calgary wins game 4 after that dreadful long bomb they probably go on to win the series.

As for Skinner, the thing people seem to forget in regards to him is that he's not supposed to be the starter at this point in his career. He's supposed to be coming along slowly while Campbell handles the load but Campbell can barely crack it in the AHL. If anything's to be blamed for the Oilers not winning the Cup it's whoever scouted Campbell and decided that he should be the guy.

The reason the Oilers beat LA twice and Calgary was because they were the better team when it counted. They were not the better team against Vegas and especially not against Colorado.

Smith was good in the Avs tho. Look at the stats. Francouz was just better and made the critical saves. Sure it was a sweep but the series was a lot closer and both team were exchanging fire powers. Same with Vegas series. The difference was the goalies.

 

[AM]

He didnt do shit tonight. He was as much a reason the team was down going into the 3rd period as anyone else. Can’t get beat clean twice by Bjugstad when you’re square to him.

The second goal he lost sight of the puck. Cit usually not a good thing in the nhl.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Smith was good in the Avs tho. Look at the stats. Francouz was just better and made the critical saves. Sure it was a sweep but the series was a lot closer and both team were exchanging fire powers. Same with Vegas series. The difference was the goalies.

What?! Mike Smith gave up 6, 4, 3, and 6 goals respectively in each game. He absolutely was not good. Games 3 and 4 especially he gave up weak goals that sewered our chances of salvaging the series.

The difference was that the Avalanche were a better team by basically every measure. They won the series and the Cup and rightly so.

 

[AM]

Why does he have to steal games for the team? Are we not contenders?

Because the goalie is 1/6 of the team he usually needs to be a difference maker.

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

The second goal he lost sight of the puck. Cit usually not a good thing in the nhl.

Why would you quote a guy talking about the 2 goals Bjugstad scored to make some point about the Keller goal?
It makes it sound like you're saying Skinner was screened on the 2nd Bjugstad goal.