TORONTO \u2014 Stan Bowman smirked when the conversation shifted to goaltending.<\/p>\n
The Edmonton Oilers<\/a> general manager has been in the job just under 16 months. He knows the crease \u2014 especially in a Canadian market \u2014 is always a hot topic.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s particularly scalding right now in Alberta\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n Stuart Skinner<\/a> has allowed 11 goals over his last three starts, including four in Saturday\u2019s embarrassing 9-1 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> before getting pulled.<\/p>\n The Oilers rebounded with a 5-4 overtime victory Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> thanks to a pair of jaw-dropping goals from Connor McDavid<\/a> on a night that saw Skinner stop 15 of the 19 shots he faced.<\/p>\n Coming off its second straight Stanley Cup final appearance in June, Edmonton owns a 7-6-4 record through 17 games with Skinner and Calvin Pickard<\/a> between the pipes.<\/p>\n Skinner, the team\u2019s current No. 1 option, had a .905 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average in 2023-24, but has watched his numbers head the wrong direction since. The 27-year-old had a .896 save percentage and a 2.81 GAA last season before starting off the current campaign with a 2.91 GAA and an .883 save percentage.<\/p>\n There have been calls from fans and media for Bowman to make a trade, but speaking Tuesday in Toronto after the NHL\u2019s annual November GM meeting, the executive said his netminders have been far from the only issue in a wobbly start.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goalies have been average \u2014 haven\u2019t been elite and they haven\u2019t been bad,\u201d Bowman told The Canadian Press. \u201cSort of the way our team has been. I don\u2019t know if they performed really any differently than our forwards and our defence. We\u2019re just not clicking as a group.<\/p>\n \u201cThat position gets more attention. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s more of a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowman said the onus is on the entire roster to simply play better.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had ups and downs throughout with both goalies, the defence and the forwards,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be probably clearer if (goaltending was) costing us games night after night, but that\u2019s just not it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had other things that have been costing us just as much.\u201d<\/p>\n Edmonton stumbling out of the gate is a familiar story. Edmonton sat 5-11-1 through 17 games in 2023-24 and was 9-7-1 last season before both times turning things on and making memorable runs to the final.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re kind of up and down,\u201d Bowman said this iteration. \u201cWe haven\u2019t really had any consistent (stretches). Usually, each year we get on a run where you win six, seven eight in a row \u2026 we haven\u2019t been able to get going. It\u2019s win one, lose one, overtime loss, overtime win. We\u2019re trying to find that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Oilers brought in some new faces over the summer that have taken time to adjust, while heart-and-soul winger Zach Hyman<\/a> has yet to suit up after suffering a serious wrist injury in the second round of last spring\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n Bowman, in short, appears willing to be patient.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, it takes time to sort through that and have everyone find their roles,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we\u2019re not connected the way we probably should be after 17 games.\u201d<\/p>\n MCDAVID MAGIC<\/p>\n The Edmonton captain put on a show in Monday\u2019s extra-time victory by first turning Blue Jackets defenceman Denton Mateychuk<\/a> into a pretzel on a spinarama goal before using his speed to blow past the opposition for another highlight-reel finish.<\/p>\n Bowman has grown to appreciate McDavid, who he signed to a team-friendly contract extension before the start of the regular season, and what motivates the star centre even more than he did from afar.<\/p>\n \u201cThat singular focus which propels him every day,\u201d Bowman said. \u201c(Monday) night was probably the representation of where he basically said, \u2018We\u2019re not going to lose this game.\u2019 He made some just unbelievable rushes to score huge goals when the game was looking pretty bleak. He basically wasn\u2019t going to let our team be denied.<\/p>\n \u201cYou read about it and you see it from a distance, and then when you\u2019re part of it up close, you take a step back and you\u2019re like, \u2018Wow, this guy\u2019s something.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n OLYMPIC INFRASTRUCTURE<\/p>\n NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is constantly getting \u201creassurances\u201d from the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation that \u201ceverything will be fine\u201d when it comes to the still-unfinished arenas for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games in Italy.<\/p>\n Deputy commissioner Bill Daly, meanwhile, gave GMs an Olympic update on Monday. He said officials plan to visit the venues following the NHL games between the Nashville Predators<\/a> and Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> in Sweden on Friday and Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still work ongoing on the rinks and the ice conditions,\u201d Bettman added. \u201cIt\u2019s something that we\u2019re monitoring closely \u2014 and we have absolutely no control over.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all on the IOC and the IIHF.\u201d<\/p>\n This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 Stan Bowman smirked when the conversation shifted to goaltending. 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