Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner striving for consistency, staying away from mental ‘roller-coaster’

As is the lawsuit for his squad arsenic a whole, immoderate of Stuart Skinner’s statistic successful the 2024-25 play are underwhelming. But the Edmonton Oilers’ No. 1 goaltender says helium is ensuring helium remains even-keeled arsenic helium works to connection much accordant play successful the team’s net.

“I consciousness truly bully astir my game,” the 26-year-old Edmonton autochthonal said aft the Oilers practised connected Tuesday. “Obviously there’s immoderate things I person to enactment connected — and immoderate things we person to enactment connected arsenic a team. … But I think, overall, I conscionable person to proceed and absorption connected the process of getting amended each day.”

Skinner was sensational astatine times successful past season’s NHL playoffs, a post-season that saw him assistance the Oilers get to conscionable 1 triumph distant from hoisting the Stanley Cup.

The Oilers hole to big Utah HC astatine Rogers Place connected Friday aft an unusually agelong long of days betwixt games. Skinner earned the triumph successful Edmonton’s past game: a 6-2 triumph implicit the New York Rangers connected Saturday successful which helium made 33 saves.

But Skinner’s 3.23 goals-against mean and .882 prevention percent this play are down from past season’s 2.62 GAA and .905 prevention percent and person generated immoderate disapproval from fans and hockey commentators. Over the people of his 138-game career, the one-time finalist for NHL rookie of the twelvemonth has a 2.75 GAA and a .907 prevention percentage.

“It tin beryllium each your responsibility and the world’s ending, oregon you’re the top goalie successful the full world,” Skinner said erstwhile asked astir concerns being raised. “I deliberation riding that roller-coaster tin beryllium a precise unsafe happening arsenic a goalie.”

Skinner suggested keeping things elemental continues to beryllium his extremity arsenic helium works to beryllium amended arsenic the play goes along.

“Consistency is simply a precise pugnacious happening to accomplish, particularly successful the NHL playing against each these unthinkable teams,” helium said. “I deliberation it conscionable comes from doing the aforesaid happening each day.

“It tin dependable boring, but particularly for a goalie, I similar boring.”

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Despite the Oilers’ comparatively dilatory commencement to the regular season, a fig of radical who enactment successful the satellite of hockey media person said they judge Skinner is being looked astatine arsenic idiosyncratic who has a accidental to gain a spot connected Team Canada’s roster for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off successful February.

The lawsuit volition astatine slightest temporarily regenerate the hockey league’s yearly all-star crippled and provides a uncommon accidental for immoderate of the NHL’s champion players to vie for their countries since the league’s players did not spell to the Winter Olympics successful 2018 and 2022.

“I haven’t though excessively overmuch astir it,” Skinner said erstwhile asked astir his sanction perchance being successful information for the event. “(But) it would beryllium specified a unthinkable accomplishment to beryllium capable to play successful the 4 Nations.

“I deliberation being capable to play against the world’s champion is ever thing you privation to do.”

–with files from Slav Kornik, Global News