For all the ongoing angst about Stuart Skinner's propensity for inconsistent play, he's also recognised as one of the more talented goalies in the NHL. As such, there was genuine fear when he was forced to leave Tuesday night's game in Boston against the Bruins, with 5:25 remaining in the first period.
Skinner's exit from the action, came as a result of being run over in his crease by the Bruins' Nikita Zadorov. It was cheap and extremely unnecessary, as the Oilers goalie went back to the locker room to be checked out for a potential concussion, clearly shook up by the incident.
During Skinner's absence, any thoughts of his erratic historical form were replaced by the worry of losing a talented goalie who backstopped his team all the way to a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final. Fortunately for everyone concerned, he was back for the beginning of the second period and none the worse for wear.
A different kind of response from the Oilers
There were those, who were critical that the Oilers didn't retaliate to show Zadorov and the Bruins that you just can't get away with acting like that. However, we would contend that the visitors did respond, but in a more positive way by putting together one of their most complete defensive games of the 2024-25 season.
Motivated by the injustice of what happened to Skinner, the Oilers' defensive game was impeccable and motivated. This was best highlighted by backup goalie Calvin Pickard not facing a single shot during his 5:25 minites of action between the pipes.
The Oilers were a delight to watch at the defensive end, as they limited the home team to just 12 shots on goal through the first 40 minutes of the game. By the time the Bruins found their shooting touch in the third period, the visitors had already claimed a 3-0 advantage in what ultimately turned out to be a 4-0 win.
Biggest sequence of the game
Not that the Oilers didn't face some crucial moments on the night, when the game was still delicately poised. Arguably the biggest point of the came during a sequence in the second period, when the visitors were on the power play and holding a tenuous 1-0 lead.
Pavel Zacha stole the puck and charged down the ice on a breakaway, with the opportunity to tie the game on a shorthanded goal. However, Skinner made a important stop and the Oilers subsequently scored through Connor McDavid on a breakaway of their own, to double their advantage to 2-0.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was understandably appreciative of what Skinner did in that moment, in what turned out to be a major momentum swing. Speaking to the media after the game, including Mark Spector of Sportsnet, he said:
"He doesn't make that save, it's probably a completely different game. But he makes that save, we score, and we're able to kind of cruise through that game."
Skinner ended up stopping all 26 shots he faced, to record the unofficial shutout and be awarded with the First Star of the Game. Following on from his best month of the season yet in December, he's also started January well, with two wins out of two and a combined .964 save percentage and 2.00 Goals Against Average.
Skinner all about the team
In classic Stuart Skinner style though, he was more bothered about praising his teammates as opposed to discussing himself. As per Jamie Umbach of NHL.com, he said:
"It was amazing. I think the way we've been defending has been very impressive. You can tell just by the number of shots that we give up throughout the night, but I think even when you see a team come in and get a lot of shots, we're still defending really, really well and keeping things to the outside and just battling. A great team effort here tonight. It's hard to get wins in this building, so it feels good to get one."
Skinner is known for being a popular person among teammates, opponents, fans and the media alike, thanks to his easygoing nature. This came across in his comments about the Zadorov incident, as he said:
"He apologised at the start of the second period, which was really nice of him to do. It's an NHL play. It happens. I wasn't too worried about (the lack of a response). He's also eight feet tall, so I wasn't expecting anybody to go fists with him."
From the perspective of the Edmonton native, his main concern was just wanting to get back out on the ice after the Zadorov incident, to help his teammates. He said:
"Honestly, you kind of think about it even when you're doing the concussion protocol. You're kind of thinking, 'If I go back out there, I've had a lot of time to sit on it, and I gotta go back and bring my game."
Henrique finally answers the critics
Aside from Skinner, arguably the happiest player on the night was Adam Henrique, who had a season-high two goals and took home the Second Star of the Game. He had entered the game with just one point in 13 games, with critics questioning if he deserved to remain as the Oilers' third centre.
After the media commented to Henrique that surely even the coaches couldn't complain after a 4-0 road win against the big, bad Bruins, he joked that they'd still be able to find something. However, even though this is probably true, don't mistake that for Knoblauch and his staff being unhappy with the performance overall.
This is an Oilers team which is on an absolute tear right now with a 15-3-1 record in the past 19 games, but don't expect them to rest on their laurels with the Vegas Golden Knights looking dangerously good at the top of the NHL standings. Next up the team will travel to Pittsburgh, to face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on Thursday night.