Skinner has performed admirably through two games and is not the cause of his team’s 2-0 series deficit. As the series moves to Alberta, it will be up to his teammates to perform well on the other end of the ice against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
Captain Connor McDavid said on Wednesday, “He’s been great.” “That’s all you can ask of your goalie—he’s given us a chance both nights.”
Of the 45 shots he has faced, Skinner has stopped 40 of them. The goals he has let in have mostly been from errors and turnovers made by defenders in front of him. The 25-year-old boy from his hometown in Edmonton was as relaxed in the locker room after practice.
Adversity and everything else that comes his path pass just off of him. “He manages it quite effectively,” stated coach Kris Knoblauch. “I think Stu’s done a really good job with that, like our team, just putting the past behind us and thinking about our next shift, our next game, or our next play.”
Wayne Gretzky praised Skinner during his appearance on the Oilers radio broadcast during intermission during Game 2. Skinner had not heard this compliments. That’s deliberate.
“I’m not turning on the TV in the situation I’m in right now,” Skinner declared. “Mario Kart only.”
