On Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, the Edmonton Oilers’ top forwards lined up across the ice from a face they knew all too well. Stuart Skinner was standing in the opposing crease wearing Penguins colors (and his same old goalie mask) trying to stop Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and a power play he once saw every day in practice.
“It was definitely different,” Skinner said postgame. “Super weird, taking a nap and thinking that I’m playing my old team.”
Less than a week after the surprising trade changed both organizations’ goaltending depth charts, the Oilers came out with a 6-4 win against the Pens while Skinner was left navigating one of the strangest nights of his NHL career.
Stuart Skinner opens up on his bittersweet night
The emotional weight of the night showed early for the former Oil Country netminder. Skinner admitted it took several minutes for his game and his mind to catch up with the situation.
“In the first period, I feel like for the first five minutes I kind of had to settle my game and calm my mind down,” he said. “As the game went on, I think I did a better and better job at that.”
Leon Draisaitl recorded the 1,000th point of his career on the night with a four point performance. When asked about how he felt in the moment, Skinner was candid.
“Bittersweet,” Skinner said. “Whenever anybody gets 1,000 points, you’re going to congratulate them. But I would have rather it not be on me.”
Still, respect came easily.
“He’s a great player and makes things happen every single night,” Skinner said. “So congratulations to him, just a little bittersweet.”
Facing Connor McDavid from the other side
Connor McDavid also scored a breakaway goal on the night against Skinner who had faced that exact move countless times in practice.
“Yeah, on the breakaway, I’ve faced so many of those in practice, so it was a bit of a mental game. I don’t know, I’m going to talk to him after this and ask how he felt.”
“He’s got a lot of moves in his pocket. As he came in close, I felt like he was going to go five-hole because he’s done that to me a few times in practice. I played it safe, next time I won’t be playing it as safe,” he added.
Getting the Oilers game out of the way
More than anything, Skinner acknowledged the relief of having this particular matchup behind him.
“Especially against the Oil,” he said. “I think the fact that it was the Oilers made it a little more hype, something everyone was going to be talking about.”
The nerves were real for Stu.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Skinner said. “But after the first period, I felt like I did a good job settling in.”
After the game, a couple heartwarming clips circulated showing Stuart Skinner sharing a brief moment with his former teammates exchanging hugs with both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.