{"id":530291,"date":"2026-03-12T00:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T00:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/530291\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T00:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T00:53:11","slug":"oilers-stuart-skinner-goalie-decision-looks-awkward-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/530291\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers\u2019 Stuart Skinner Goalie Decision Looks Awkward Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hockey has a funny way of changing the story on a player. One month, a guy is the problem. The next month, he\u2019s somewhere else, and suddenly he looks pretty much the same as he always did. That\u2019s kind of what\u2019s happening right now with Stuart Skinner.<\/p>\n

The Oilers Traded Skinner Because They Needed \u201cSomething Different\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Edmonton Oilers moved on from Skinner, the feeling around the team seemed pretty clear. They needed something different in the crease<\/a>. It happens. When a team isn\u2019t getting the results it wants, the goalie is usually the first domino to fall.<\/p>\n

Skinner\u2019s stats since moving to Pittsburgh really add an interesting twist to the story. While with Edmonton this season, he had a goals-against average of 2.83 over 23 games, allowing 62 goals on 508 shots. It\u2019s not amazing, but it\u2019s not a complete trainwreck either, especially given that he was playing behind a defence that wasn\u2019t exactly rock solid.<\/p>\n

Now with the Penguins, the stat line looks a little different. In 17 games, his GAA is sitting at 2.70. He\u2019s faced 377 shots and allowed 46 goals. The save percentage is identical at .891<\/a>, which is probably the most telling part of all this.<\/p>\n

\"StuartStuart Skinner is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/p>\n

Skinner Is Basically the Same Goalie He Always Was<\/p>\n

In other words, the goalie didn\u2019t magically change. Skinner is basically the same guy. And that\u2019s where things start to get a little ironic when you look back at how the whole situation unfolded in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

The Oilers have had their share of chaos this season. Big expectations, a loud market, and a team that knows its championship window doesn\u2019t stay open forever. When things start wobbling in that kind of environment, frustration shows up quickly. Players get tense. Mistakes pile up. The puck ends up in your net, and everyone starts pointing fingers.<\/p>\n

Goalies tend to absorb a lot of that blame. Sometimes they deserve it. Sometimes they\u2019re just the last guy people notice after three defensive mistakes in front of them.<\/p>\n

Skinner Looks Different in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Watching Skinner in Pittsburgh so far, he looks pretty much like the goalie people expected him to be all along. Calm. Solid enough. Not a superstar, but certainly good enough to give a team a chance most nights.<\/p>\n

But his time there has been different. The Penguins have also given him something the Oilers weren\u2019t always providing: a little more stability in front of him. It doesn\u2019t take much for a goalie\u2019s numbers to improve. One fewer odd-man rush a night. One fewer blown coverage. Suddenly, that goals-against average drops a little, and the story changes.<\/p>\n

So Here\u2019s the Question Oilers\u2019 Fans Are Left With<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why this whole thing raises a fair question. Was Skinner actually the issue in Edmonton? Or was he just the easiest piece to change when the team needed to feel like it was doing something?<\/p>\n

Stan Bowman was all about saying the Oilers needed \u201csomething different.\u201d Was he onto something? Sometimes, a team just needs a little jolt to lift the spirits. But watching Skinner play steady, drama-free hockey in Pittsburgh makes you wonder if the Oilers were tackling the wrong problem. <\/p>\n

Goalies are funny that way. Throw them into the middle of chaos, and they look overwhelmed. Go figure. Put them behind a calmer system, and suddenly they seem perfectly capable again.<\/p>\n

Skinner\u2019s Sample Size Is Small in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Seventeen games with the Penguins isn\u2019t enough to settle the debate. A couple of bad nights could flip the numbers in a hurry. Goalies live on that kind of razor\u2019s edge. Still, the early returns are enough to plant a small seed of doubt.<\/p>\n

As Skinner keeps performing well in Pittsburgh, the Oilers might have to tackle a tricky question: Was he really the one to blame after all?<\/p>\n

Related: Injury Update: Oilers\u2019 Ingram After Collision with Nathan MacKinnon<\/a><\/p>\n

\tDiscover more from NHL Trade Talk<\/p>\n

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