The Edmonton Oilers are set to face the New York Islanders on Thursday night as part of their Eastern Conference road trip. The Oilers are currently on a two game winning streak and all eyes are on their goaltending.
This stop in Long Island is the second game on their five game trip, after Tuesday night's game against the New York Rangers. That game saw Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner pick up his first shutout of the season in a 2-0 win, stopping all 30 shots he faced.
He not only shutout the Rangers and their laundry list of stars but he also shutout his detractors who have been loud for a long time.
The Oilers goaltending has been a major point of issue amongst fans, media, and even the team executives dating back quite some time. The fans confidence in the team's crease feels at an all-time low, especially with the struggles that Skinner and Calvin Pickard faced last season, en route to their second straight Stanley Cup finals berth.
Skinner so far this year
Entering the 2025-26 season, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the Oilers net with Skinner showing up to training camp in great shape. He also reportedly had formed a good relationship between himself and Oilers new goaltending coach, Peter Aubry.
This is despite the fans desire for change and the seemingly noncommittal stance by the Oilers management.
This optimism was quickly diminished with his struggles in the preseason and in the Oilers season opener, a 4-3 shootout loss where the Oilers blew a 3-0 lead. Skinner himself faced only 22 shots against, letting in 3 and leaving the night against their biggest enemy, the Calgary Flames with a .864 save percentage.
However, Tuesday night at Madison Square Gardens, he stopped all 30 Rangers' shots for his eighth career shutout. The game before featured backup Pickard who came away with a 3-1 victory against the Western Canadian rival, Vancouver Canucks.
Skinner has a chance at redemption
Despite the detractors, Skinner has shown capable of some high end play throughout his career, putting together multiple solid seasons at the NHL level as a starting goalie.
In 2022-23, his first as a starter, he was the runner up for the 2023 Calder trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. In 50 games he had a 29-14-5 record with a 2.75 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Skinner also had a .604 quality start percentage, similar to Igor Shesterkin's .603 in that same category that year (hockey-reference.com).
The quality start statistic is every game that the goalie starts where they perform at or above the league average save percentage. Skinner's quality start being .604 means that in 60.4 percent of his starts, he finished the game at or with a higher save percentage than the league average goalie.
In 2023-24, Skinner improved this number to .614 putting him above notable goaltenders like Shesterkin, MacKenzie Blackwood, Logan Thompson, and others. He played a career high 59 games with a record of 36-16-5 and a 2.62 GAA and .905 percentage.
However, 2024-25 represented a low point in Skinner's career, where he was .500 in quality starts and his usual counting stats took a dive as well. In 51 games he had a 26-18-4 record with a 2.81 GAA and .896 save percentage.
Thursday against the Islanders
The Oilers visit Long Island Thursday to take on the Islanders with Skinner set to occupy the starter's net. It is his third start of the season and he has the chance to set the tone right for the Oil.
He backstops an injury riddled lineup that has multiple players out right now to start the year. But, that did not stop him on Tuesday from pulling off the unexpected.
If he can return to form and show that last season was an anomaly, the Oilers could really have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup. That starts one game at a time and Thursday night against the Islanders, he has the chance to carry this momentum.