EDMONTON -- Stuart Skinner is not a numbers guy.
The Edmonton Oilers goalie admits he is not overly concerned with his goals against average or save percentage, it’s all about wins and losses.
So, despite a 3.09 goals against average and .887 save percentage so far this season, what matters to Skinner is his 8-6-2 record in 16 starts, and more importantly, his 7-3-1 record in his past 11 games.
“To be honest, I couldn’t tell you what the average (save percentage) in the League is, what the below average is,” Skinner. “It’s a little bit of a tricky thing the whole numbers game. I think for me, the big thing is getting the wins. You can let in eight, but if you win 9-8 -- it’s not pretty and you don’t want to let in eight -- but at least you got the two points. I think that’s the most important thing.”
Sometimes it is easy to forget Skinner, 26, is in just his third full season with Edmonton. In his rookie season, he won the starting job over Jack Campbell, went on to earn a spot in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, and was the Calder Trophy runner-up as the top rookie in the NHL to Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers.
Last season, Skinner won the No. 1 job from Campbell again, helped Edmonton go on a 16-game winning streak, the second-longest in NHL history, and backstopped the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.
“I’m going to guess when he’s at the top of his game and he’s playing well and when the stats are looking good, he has no idea what they are,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “When we were on our 16-game winning streak last year and his save percentage was around .950 during that time, I’m going to guess he didn’t know what his save percentage was at that time. Sometimes guys know when things are going well and they’ll ignore it when it’s going poorly, but I’m going to guess Stu is not interested and he just wants to help the team win.”
Skinner got off to a slow start this season, as did the rest of the Oilers, but is rounding into form. He made 27 saves in a 4-1 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and is expected to get the start again when Edmonton concludes its road trip at the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN1).
Prior to the win at Colorado, Skinner made 32 saves in a 6-2 win against the New York Rangers on Nov. 23.
“I feel really good about my game,” Skinner said. “Obviously there are some things that I have to work on and some things we have work on as a team, just be a little bit stronger, but I think overall, I have to continue and focus on the process of getting better every day.”
Skinner lost four of his first five starts this season (1-3-1) as he and the rest of the Oilers struggled with consistency. Knoblauch admitted the wounds of losing in the Final had not completely healed going into the 2024-25 season.
Edmonton seems to have turned the page and heads into Vegas on a three-game winning streak and 7-2-1 in its past 10 games. Skinner has played his part in the turnaround for the Oilers (13-9-2) and is mounting a case to be on the Team Canada roster for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. The rosters for the tournament to be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston will be announced Wednesday.
“I’m not too sure what I’ll be thinking either way that it goes,” Skinner said. “Obviously, it’ll be nice to be able to play for your country and play in the 4 Nations. I know I’ll have a couple of teammates going as well. It would be such an incredible accomplishment being able to play in the 4 Nations. Being able to play against the world’s best is something you always want to do.”
Either way, it is a win-win for Skinner. He and his wife Chloe are expecting their second child in February, and he will either be at the 4 Nations or spending time with his newborn.
“There’s always positives and negatives to everything,” Skinner said. “You make the team, it’s such an incredible feat and what an amazing thing that I get to go and play against the best and it’s a dream come true. But then I’d miss some time with the baby. If I don’t make the team, it sucks, and it’s a terrible, terrible thing, but I get to spend some time with my newborn. That’s life, everything that comes your way there’s negatives to it and there’s positives to it.”
Skinner has always been a glass half-full person. He tries to stay positive regardless of the situation and maintains a laid-back approach.
That can be difficult at times in Edmonton, where goalies are often the lightning rod in tough times. Such has been the case for Skinner in his three seasons with Edmonton, despite being an All-Star, a Calder Trophy nominee and coming within one win of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“I block it out, I tell everyone around me that I don’t really like talking about it either,” he said. “It can be all your fault and the world’s ending or you’re the greatest goalie in the entire world. Riding that rollercoaster can be a very dangerous thing as a goalie. Your ego can definitely get in the way when you’re hearing those things. It can put you in a depressed state or can make you think you’re amazing. Both are completely not true.”
One thing that has not wavered for Skinner is the support of his teammates. The Oilers have not always been responsible defensively in front of their goalies this season, which can paint both Skinner and backup Calvin Pickard in an unfavorable light at times.
“There are definitely nights where we haven’t supported either goalie well enough,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “That’s on us to be more consistent in front of them, so they’re seeing more consistent looks each night and with that comes confidence.
“We have confidence in him. He’s played so well for us in high pressure situations for the past few years now. He’s someone that we trust back there fully, he’s such a good goalie.”
