It doesn't take much for a certain segement of the Edmonton Oilers fan base to start worrying, when Stuart Skinner lets in a goal. Given his ongoing bouts of inconsistency since taking over as the number one, people wonder which version of the goaltender they're going to get on any given night.
As such, when Skinner gave up a goal on Tuesday night versus Utah on just the third shot he faced, these concerns came bubbling back to the surface. It also didn't help, that he'd allowed four goals in his previous start against the Los Angeles Kings, although in fairness he was only really at fault for the first one.
In any event, again based on the Edmonton native's history with the Oilers, it really did seem as if the Utah game could go either way with him. Fortunately for everyone concerned, he ended up having an excellent performance, as he did not allow another goal the rest of the night.
Skinner made several key saves following Utah's goal, including a key stop of fNick Bjugstad early in the third period, when the game was delicately balanced at 3-1 to the Oilers. When it was all said and done, he had saved 26 of the 27 shots he faced and took home the Second Star of the Game.
An excellent December overall
As a result, the 26-year-old completed what was his best month of the season to date. Yes his 6-2-1 record in nine starts mirrored his November, but his .913 save percentage and 2.50 Goals Against Average (GAA) for December trumped his respective statistics of .898 and 2.78 for the previous month.
The thing is though, that as good as Skinner was, there's still the need for more. Consider that if the 2024-25 regular season finished today, his overall .897 save percentage and 2.81 GAA would both be the worst of his NHL career to date. (He did have a .868 save percentage and 5.03 GAA in 2020-21, but those statistics came courtesy of just one appearance.)
When it comes to the 2023 NHL All-Star, there has never been any doubt that he has the talent to be one of the very best goalies in the league. However, as we've written before, until he starts performing well on a more consistent basis then the doubts will persist.
Skinner is a popular player, whether it be among his teammates, the media or the fans, so you know the majority of people want the best for him. However, at some point he needs to stop being so prone to playing erratically, otherwise the Oilers are going to want/have to look elsewhere for their long-term solution between the pipes.
The clock is ticking for Skinner
In respect of this, there is a timeline for the goalie to consider, with him being in the second season of a three-year deal which has an annual cap hit of $2.6 million. He changed agents back in November to theoretically put him in a better position for future negotiations, but this won't matter if he can't find more consistency.
Again, Skinner is one of the very best goalies in the NHL on his day, which he certainly showed during the Oilers' run to the Stanley Cup Final during last season's playoffs. There were times early on in each series -- particularly against the Vancouver Canucks -- when he struggled, but he would always turn it on as those series progressed.
The thing is though, at some point the Oilers don't want to rely on having to keep coming back from slow starts, whether it be a regular season or a playoff series. At some stage it's going to cost them.
As such, while Skinner enters 2025 with the promise of more to come, there is of course nothing guaranteed about this. You can have all the potential in the world, but it doesn't mean a damn thing if you don't regularly turn this into playing up to your talent level.