Post-Game Talk: Welcome to the Skinner Circus

oobga

Tier 2 Fan
Aug 1, 2003
25,034
21,372
That's just my opinion on it from playing the position for 20 years at a decently high level. When you lose your confidence you start trying to guess and close up the "easy spots" so that you don't let a bad goal in, but that's not at all how a professional goalie should be approaching shots. The second you start guessing and moving prematurely instead of reading the play and reacting is the second you become an absolute sieve in net that can't stop anything even remotely challenging. I've done it myself.

Here's to hoping he breaks out of it, but unfortunately this goalie has lost all my confidence in him. This needed to be a statement year for him to show he could be more consistent and be the goalie this team could trust, but instead he has be an inconsistent mess with zero confidence. He may get it back, but I'd be finding another goalie asap if I was Oilers management and having Skinner as a plan B at this point.

Think confidence is 100% Skinner's top issue. He's another Oilers goalie with very fragile confidence that does not know how to consistently pump himself back up. We got lucky last year with George Mumford and a swap with Pickard against Vancouver that ended up being a perfect little kick in the rear for Skinner that carried him through the rest of the playoffs.

Who knows if Mumford can hit the right buttons again, and the right situations can come up that kick Skinner out of his funks in the right periods of time that we need top end goaltending. It's all a continuation of the massive risk we've been taking for years now with our goalies. We keep playing with dynamite in net with how urgently we need to make use of this window with McDavid/Drai.
 

guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
34,629
15,186
It’s not about how many we make it’s the timing of them. We’re giving them up late in games and we aren’t scoring enough to put away games early.
I agree and I mean you arent saying that Skinner doesnt have to be better.
He is just one of multiple issues with this team right now.
 

CanadasTeam99

Registered User
Jul 22, 2024
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MessierII

Registered User
Aug 10, 2011
28,676
18,195
I agree and I mean you arent saying that Skinner doesnt have to be better.
He is just one of multiple issues with this team right now.
100%. To be honest we still are in a good spot. Amazing spot compared to last year. If both skinners and nuge can get their games in order we could go on a serious run. We also have Kane coming back in a couple months. A lot to be positive about still.
 
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TopShelfGloveSide

Registered User
Dec 10, 2018
19,967
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It’s not about how many we make it’s the timing of them. We’re giving them up late in games and we aren’t scoring enough to put away games early.
Teams will generate scoring chances when they are pushing trying to tie. We see it all the time in the NHL when a team is pushing in the 3rd but good goalies lock it down. Skinner never does.

Obviously the Bouchard one is a big whoopsie but those others were saveable. Other goalies make those saves.

I see your point though. We have zero killer instinct.
 

Senor Catface

Registered User
Jul 25, 2006
16,784
22,372
100%. To be honest we still are in a good spot. Amazing spot compared to last year. If both skinners and nuge can get their games in order we could go on a serious run. We also have Kane coming back in a couple months. A lot to be positive about still.

Yeah. Since our 0-3-0 awful start, we're 9-4-2.

I think it's hard to see we're doing well lately because how many parts of our game still haven't clicked into place, like the PK, PP.
 

harpoon

Registered User
Dec 23, 2005
14,599
12,468
How gotten do you see other teams throw pucks right to opposing players in prime scoring areas?
This is you desperately contorting yourself into a pretzel trying to avoid ever making a post critical of the weakest link on the team. :shakehead

1731817610832.jpeg
 

McFlyingV

Registered User
Feb 22, 2013
23,980
16,205
Edmonton, Alberta
I said last year we should have gone all in to get Saros and really I stand by the idea that this team would be over the top with a top 10 goalie. Obviously that ship has sailed (Saros), but I think they have 2 options.

1) They gamble on a guy like Blackwood because they can add him for minimal cap change

2) They ride out their goalies until the deadline and use double retention to add a 6-8mil goalie and accept they're likely going to be a low seed in the playoffs. That said I haven't looked enough to know if that goalie even exists on an expiring contract on a team that is outside the playoffs.
 

Senor Catface

Registered User
Jul 25, 2006
16,784
22,372
I worry that because our last 2 GM's won their Cups with not star goalies (kinda meh guys overall) that the entire org just thinks "oh well, good enough", will be good enough.

I have serious doubts if that's the case. Skinner ain't it.

Agreed. That was a strong impression I got with Holland.
 
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Bryanbryoil

Pray For Ukraine
Sep 13, 2004
87,791
38,244
I worry that because our last 2 GM's won their Cups with not star goalies (kinda meh guys overall) that the entire org just thinks "oh well, good enough", will be good enough.

I have serious doubts if that's the case. Skinner ain't it.
The way that we've built our team cap wise we can't afford a high end goalie. I'd settle for an average goalie that can get hot at times ie. Roli. I was considering keeping Skinner and moving out Pickard but I think that ship has sailed and that we need Stu's cap hit moving out to make this deal happen.
 

iCanada

Registered User
Feb 6, 2010
20,308
21,318
Edmonton
The way that we've built our team cap wise we can't afford a high end goalie. I'd settle for an average goalie that can get hot at times ie. Roli. I was considering keeping Skinner and moving out Pickard but I think that ship has sailed and that we need Stu's cap hit moving out to make this deal happen.

To be fair, with league average goaltending the last two pay seasons we're looking to threepeat for a potential dynasty.
 

McFlyingV

Registered User
Feb 22, 2013
23,980
16,205
Edmonton, Alberta
I worry that because our last 2 GM's won their Cups with not star goalies (kinda meh guys overall) that the entire org just thinks "oh well, good enough", will be good enough.

I have serious doubts if that's the case. Skinner ain't it.
I was never a big Crawford fan, but I would take him 1 million times out of a million over Skinner. He at least gave that team the type of goaltending they should expect from a strong defensive team (which the Oilers are no matter how hard people try to claim they aren't).
 

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