Oilers’ Skinner, an Edmonton native, closes door on Flames: ‘You live for these moments’

CALGARY – It’s not as if the Oilers have a goaltending controversy here. We’re nine games into the season. Let’s not overreact.

But when the Oilers rolled into Calgary looking to make amends against their most despised rival after the Flames handed them their first loss of the season, they turned to the rookie instead of the $5 million man.

And the rookie, as he has through at least three of four appearances this season, did them proud in a big 3-2 win.

Stuart Skinner made 40 saves in his first Battle of Alberta start, nearly keeping his elite .957 save percentage level. (It fell to .955.)

It couldn’t have gone much better for the Edmonton native, an Oilers fan who as a child studied duels between Dwayne Roloson and Miikka Kiprusoff in these intra-provincial affairs.

“Growing up, you live for these moments,” Skinner said. “There was a moment there in the third where I had to snap my fingers a bit and pinch myself and get back to work.”

Skinner did just that, closing the door on the Flames in the third as his teammates turned a one-goal deficit into a one-goal victory.

The Oilers had plenty of other contributors. Zach Hyman scored twice, and Connor McDavid tied the game and added two helpers. But against a team that has often scored so easily against the Oilers in recent contests, especially in the Saddledome, it was Skinner who was largely responsible for keeping Calgary’s offence in check.

“I thought Stuart Skinner was exactly what I expected – confident,” coach Jay Woodcroft said. “I felt good about his ability to come in and help us win the game. He made numerous big saves.”

Skinner picked up right where he left off in his previous appearance against the Flames when he was perfect, making 31 saves in 2½ periods in relief of Jack Campbell – the big offseason acquisition.

“He played great then. I thought he played great tonight,” McDavid said. “He gave us a chance. They’re a team that shoots a lot of pucks from bad angles and gets lots of traffic to the net. He held his own and played great.”

Skinner had Tyler Toffoli’s number early. He got his glove on a chance from the Flames right winger in the first and then turned aside a partial breakaway before the period ended.

Though a Mikael Backlund shot squeaked between his glove and sweater 4:29 into the second period for a short-handed goal, he stymied another Flames chance on the same Oilers power play.

The Oilers immediately went down the ice and scored to tie the game.

Things could have gone differently if Backlund had shot rather than tried to feed Elias Lindholm.

“When it passed it, there was a little moment of relief,” Skinner said. “I was out and about. But he made a great play, and I was lucky enough to get an edge on it. Being able to get that goal after it was massive for the team.”

But you’ve got to be lucky to be good, right?

The only other goal he surrendered was a quick shot from Brett Ritchie, who was left unfettered in the slot.

“He made a really nice shot, so that’s the one where I’m tipping my hat,” Skinner said.

It’s tough to fault the goalie on that one. Skinner has six goals this season and it’d be hard to fault him much at all.

This is about as sound a start of the season as the Oilers could have hoped for from Skinner. He was mostly solid in 13 games in 2021-22, recording a .913 save percentage and posting the team’s first shutout.

But those performances came as the No. 3 guy, simply as a stand-in when Mike Smith was injured. The Oilers are counting on him to start at least double that number of games. A poor early showing could have led to the caution flag rising.

There weren’t any doubts about his abilities inside the Oilers’ dressing room, though. What he showed last season wasn’t some flash in the pan.

“That’s why management went out and got one goalie, right? Stu is able to play,” Hyman said. “He’s a great young player. The only way you know how good he is is if you just play him.

“He’s come in and shown people who didn’t know who he was that he’s an NHL goalie. It’s still early, but he’s playing great.”

And to think, it was only a few months ago that he was soaking in the Oilers-Flames playoff series as a black ace.

“It was awesome. It’s huge being able to come up and see how the playoffs work. It was so much fun,” Skinner said. “I had a blast being able to watch those games. The fans were so loud in both buildings. It’s definitely an experience that you want to have, especially going into the next year.”

It’s clear he’s put that experience to good use. He’s unquestionably been Edmonton’s best goalie so far.

It was never a question that Skinner wouldn’t be an Oiler this season – not after his performance last season and because he required waivers to be sent to the minors.

He spent the better part of the last four campaigns with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, save for brief stints in the ECHL and with the Oilers.

Coincidentally, it was in Bakersfield where Woodcroft saw him blossom. Now, he’s witnessing that carryover in the big leagues.

“I’m not surprised,” Woodcroft said. “I’m privy to the work that gets put in so that he can have moments like today. But I also know that this is one game. He’s not self-satisfied. He’s a worker bee and he’s serious about his craft and he’s been very good for us.

“He’s one-half a really good goaltending tandem for us.”

That’s where Campbell comes back into the picture. Despite Skinner’s superb play, it’s not as if Campbell is the backup now. Not when he was signed for five years.

There’s an old hockey axiom that says if a team has two No. 1 goalies, it doesn’t have one. It would probably be best if that situation was resolved by playoff time. That will almost certainly happen.

Campbell was brought in to be the starter. That he remains even if the numbers clearly illustrate otherwise.

For now, the Oilers have two netminders they’re comfortable with – and that’s because of Skinner’s superb play. He deserves all the kudos for that. It’s a wonderful problem to have during the regular season.

Without Skinner, the Oilers might not have a four-game winning streak or a 6-3 record through nine games.

He’s been steady, allowing the true No. 1 guy Campbell a chance to get his footing with his new team.

“He’s given us a sense of calm,” McDavid said of Skinner. “He’s just stable and solid, making the saves that he should.”

“All the games he’s been fantastic and given us a chance. He’s been great,” Hyman said. “We have two great goalies. We’re pretty fortunate.”

(Top photo of Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner guarding the net against the Calgary Flames: Sergei Belski / USA Today)