After a difficult season opener, Stuart Skinner delivered the perfect rebound performance on Tuesday evening in New York. The Edmonton Oilers netminder was impeccable, stopping all 30 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout win over the Rangers – his eighth career shutout and third straight win at Madison Square Garden.
Skinner was good against Calgary, but made a costly mistake playing the puck on the Flames’ third goal. In this match he was perfect, rejecting 15 high-risk scoring chances and finishing with 3.53 goals saved above expectations. Skinner noted he felt it from the early morning skate and throughout the game, closing the door on every opportunity the Rangers got – and there were many.
He was often under pressure, but remained steady during a tight, hard-fought match. “I think it’s really good for our morale in general,” Skinner said after the game. “Being able to beat one, being able to fight and grind – that was a man’s game.”
Skinner has received a lot of criticism in recent days, especially from fans who assume he will inevitably falter and not be the goaltender the Oilers need to win a Stanley Cup. When asked if this game was a statement game and a message to those fans, he responded, “I mean, yeah, I think either way I think if I play the way I want to play, I’ll feel good and you just want to continue that despite wins, losses and despite outside ideas or thoughts or whatever’s going on out there.”
In other words: say what you want. When he feels good, he knows he’s more than a competent NHL goaltender.
Rangers continued to snakebite on home ice
The Rangers, now eliminated in three consecutive home games to open their season, pressed hard early but could not break through. Skinner made key stops on Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafrenière and a late Sam Carrick breakaway to keep the clean sheet. He credited both the penalty and the group’s defensive effort for the result: “The way we defended – every man worked so hard in the end.”
With the way Rangers were playing, Skinner was surprised to hear they had yet to score at home this season.
Trent Frederic provided the eventual game-winner on a breakaway in the second period, while the Oilers’ penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5. The win improves Edmonton’s record to 2-0-1 and gives them their second straight strong defensive effort to open the road trip.
For Skinner, it was the type of mature, resilient performance that can define an early season. “No matter what happens, if I play the way I want to play, I will feel good,” he said. “Everyone felt it tonight.”
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