Skinner's strong return in Game 5 of West 1st Round no surprise to Oilers

EDMONTON --Stuart Skinner is showing the poise of an NHL veteran in his first time playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 24-year-old rookie was back in goal for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and made 25 saves in a 6-3 win at Rogers Place.
He had been pulled from Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday after allowing three goals on 11 shots in the first period and being replaced by Jack Campbell.
Though Campbell made 27 saves on 28 shots and the Oilers rallied from a three-goal deficit for a 5-4 overtime win, Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said he knew going back to Skinner for Game 5 was the right call.
It wasn't a surprise Skinner delivered.
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"That's what we expected of him," Woodcroft said. "That's the Stuart Skinner I've come to know over my time coaching in the American Hockey League and in the NHL. He played a good game, gave us a chance to win this game tonight, and we did."
Edmonton leads the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can advance to the Western Conference Second Round with a win in Game 6 at Los Angeles on Saturday.
"I thought it was just huge we were able to get the win," Skinner said. "The guys in front of me did an outstanding job. We were able to score a few goals, which was huge. I think how we played all night defensively and in the neutral zone, we definitely wanted it tonight."
Selected by Edmonton in the third round (No. 78) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Skinner is in his first full NHL season. He was 29-14-5 with a 2.75 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 50 regular-season games (48 starts) and stole the No. 1 job from Campbell, who is in the first season of a five-year, $25 million contract ($5 million average annual value).
Skinner signed a three-year, $7.8 million contract ($2.6 million AAV) on Dec. 19.
"He's mature beyond his years," center Leon Draisaitl said. "It was a great game by him, but we knew that was going to happen."
The Oilers' 4-2 victory in Game 2 was Skinner's first win in the playoffs, and he became the first Edmonton rookie goalie to win a game since Grant Fuhr in the 1982 Smythe Division Semifinals, also against the Kings.
As the playoffs progress, Woodcroft expects Skinner to continue improving, just like he did during the regular season.
"That's what he's going through right now," Woodcroft said. "The more he plays, the more comfortable he will feel. He's somebody who's had a great year and he's continuing that forward here in the playoffs."

Skinner won a Western Hockey League championship with Swift Current in 2017-18 but then spent most of the next three seasons in the ECHL and AHL. He made his NHL debut in 2020-21 and played 13 games with the Oilers last season before becoming a full-time NHL player this season.
He showed he belonged, earning a spot on the Pacific Division roster for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game and he could be a finalist for the Calder Trophy, voted as NHL rookie of the year.
"He's an All-Star," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "He went to the All-Star game this year and he's proven that he's capable of being that guy and there was no doubt in our locker room that he would bounce back. He made the big saves when we needed it and was just solid."
One of Skinner's biggest assets is his calm demeanor. An Edmonton native, he's the youngest of nine siblings, and became a father in January with the birth of his son, Beau.
"I've had to go through a lot of experiences to get me to where I am and have the demeanor [the public] might see," Skinner said. "After every single day, tomorrow when we come to the rink, it's just another day at work. That just continues. I have a job to do and I'm going to do my best to do that every day."