Stuart Skinner has been the Oilers’ savior — and that’s not a good thing

Where would the Oilers be right now without Stuart Skinner?

It’s a question surely no one with a vested interest in the team or a keen follower of the NHL would have asked entering the season.

It’s a legitimate question now as the first week of December ends – one that might make members of the Oilers shudder.

“He’s been unbelievable for us,” defenceman Darnell Nurse said. “We need to reciprocate the effort back for him.”

Monday’s loss to the Capitals was the latest example, a game the Oilers were mostly dominated yet lost only 3-2 thanks in large part to Skinner’s 47 saves.

He was the best Oiler on the ice — and it wasn’t even close.

#NHL GameScore Card for Washington Capitals @ Edmonton Oilers on 2022-12-05:#ALLCAPS #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/cxRZGj7Xa6

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 6, 2022

“He kept us in the game,” Nurse said.

Skinner’s play had dipped a bit in late November, perhaps the by-product of a heavier-than-planned workload for a goalie in his first full NHL campaign. He had three starts with save percentages below .900 before beating the Canadiens on Saturday.

His effort against the Capitals was one Oilers fans have seen a few times so far.

Skinner made the saves he should have, and some that required a little extra – upping his save percentage to .916 in 14 appearances.

He could have used a little extra effort and care from those around him on Monday. That was particularly the case with the goals that when past him – none of which were his fault.

Cody Ceci, billed as either the team’s No. 1 or 2 defenceman, left Lars Eller behind him for a chance in front. That’s something a top defensive defenceman, someone who’s supposed to have defence top of mind, shouldn’t do. Eller scored, almost untouched.

T.J. Oshie was left all alone in the slot to one-time a shot on a Washington power play. It was a pretty and quick series of passes by the Capitals, but that player can’t be left unfettered there.

The winning goal saw Evan Bouchard fail to cover for partner Brett Kulak, who was trying to keep a bouncing puck in at the offensive blue line. Bouchard then compounded the error by also giving the middle of the ice to Capitals’ Aliaksei Protas, which led to a clear rush chance.

Maybe Skinner could have stopped Nic Dowd’s shot, had every backchecking Oiler not given him a snow shower.

“I kind of lost the puck,” Skinner said.

That play resulted in Bouchard getting benched.

“Our goalie stood tall,” coach Jay Woodcroft said. “We’re going into the third period tied 2-2 and we made a critical error, and it ended up in the back of our net.”

Commensurate to expectations, Skinner has been the best story in an Oilers’ not-so-young-anymore season. As Woodcroft said nearly a month ago after a win in Florida, Skinner is “right at the top of that list.”

For Skinner to be in this position is a credit to him. It’s also a dubious distinction and a reflection of why the Oilers are in their sorry and sad 14-12 plight.

For the expected backup goaltender to be, at worst, a team’s fifth-best player, well, there’s something majorly amiss here. That’s where the Oilers find themselves.

There are offensive producers Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman –the latter missing in action on Monday – and then there is Skinner. Rank them as you see fit in terms of their importance to the Oilers this season. Skinner might well be on the podium.

And then there is everyone else, players that are hardly noticeable unless it’s when they make a poor read or commit an egregious mistake. The Oilers are being outscored 57-47 at five-on-five.

“This group knows how to defend, but we haven’t done it well enough,” Nurse said. “We have to be better – to a man.”

Granted the Oilers played yet another game Monday without four top-nine forwards – Hyman, Evander Kane, Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele – but every team has injuries and the Capitals have had their share all season.

That doesn’t excuse another sleepy start or the many passengers or the own-zone miscues. All those things become that much more critical with the Oilers being essentially a one-line team because McDavid and Draisaitl are part of the same trio.

“Every team goes through injuries over the course of the year,” Nurse said. “The teams that are able to manage it the best are the ones that buckle down and defend.”

Thankfully, they have their 24-year-old rookie goalie – no longer the backup but the starter until proven otherwise.

Skinner’s play has ranged from passable to elite.

Often, an underwhelming effort has seen him make a key save at the most opportune time. That was the case last Wednesday when made a game-saving stop in the dying seconds in Chicago when the Oilers were unraveling.

Skinner’s performance was merely fine in his next start on Saturday against the Canadiens, the poor 2022-23 version and not one of the powerhouse squads from the 1950s or 1970s. The second Montreal goal was scored after he surrendered a juicy rebound, albeit with little help from his teammates around him.

Yet, the Oilers won, trudging through some mediocre moments midway through the game before burying an inferior opponent. And Skinner, though maybe not quite at his best, was good enough to get the job done.

His effort against the Caps was one of his best of the season.

Put any of those three performances up against Jack Campbell’s from last Thursday and it’s no contest.

Sure, that game was a scheduled loss. The Oilers played in Chicago the night before, a game that didn’t start until 8:45 local time to accommodate TV. Awaiting them were the Wild, who had three days rest since their last home game.

But a big issue was they just couldn’t get a key save or even a stop on a decent chance from Campbell, who allowed five goals on 30 shots. Those are games you’d hope your supposed No. 1 goalie could steal. At the very least, you’d expect him to at least keep the team in the game. He couldn’t even do that.

He was the worst player on the ice.

#NHL GameScore Card for Edmonton Oilers @ Minnesota Wild on 2022-12-01:#LetsGoOilers #MNWild pic.twitter.com/seokx1cxLg

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 2, 2022

Skinner’s play has afforded Campbell — and the Oilers — the necessary time to fix (or improve) what ails him. He’s 11th in the NHL with 5.8 goals saved above average in all situations, per Natural Stat Trick.

Skinner’s play has also allowed them to stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff chance, a race in which they might otherwise be sunk.

But Skinner’s play isn’t going to be enough — even if he can keep it up.

The Oilers are going to need much more than him, and a few offensive stars, if they’re going to ever end up being the Stanley Cup contender many expected them to be a couple of months ago.

Because with all due and deserved respect for Skinner, his being easily among the Oilers’ best means this team has a long, long way to go.

(Top photo of Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner: Perry Nelson / USA Today)