Don’t Blame Skinner: Takeaways from the Oilers’ Loss to Devils

The Edmonton Oilers continue to struggle, suffering another 3-2 loss, this time to the New Jersey Devils. Ongoing concerns about the team’s depth scoring and defensive coverage might be wrongly shifted towards the results with Stuart Skinner in goal. Make no mistake, the score of this game was not Skinner’s fault. As the Oilers prepare for their next game, the offense and the defense need to find a way to be more productive.

Here are the key takeaways from Thursday’s game:

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Lack of Depth Scoring Continues to Plague the Oilers

The Oilers continue to rely on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while secondary scoring remains a major issue. As such, when the two top stars are as helpful as they are hurtful — including a goal by Draisaitl, but a bad turnover at the offensive blueline — the Oilers are in trouble.

Beyond their top line, the Oilers got no depth scoring. The second goal by Edmonton came from Evan Bouchard.

The Oilers outshot the Devils but failed to create quality and high-danger opportunities. Meanwhile, the Devils were allowed to clog the front of the net, making it nearly impossible for Skinner to see the puck on the Devils’ final two goals. New Jersey often got traffic in front of the net, while the Oilers did not.

Oilers’ Roster Shuffling Continues To Fail

Head coach Kris Knoblauch continues to shuffle his lines, and it’s not producing results. Several line combinations, including going to McDavid and Draisailt early in the game on the top line leave the depth of the roster exposed. Knoblauch is well aware the remaining forward groups are struggling and have been unable to generate offense, yet he’s forcing them to create without a top center on the line.

The bottom six struggled offensively, but they also couldn’t play dependable hockey.

Defensive Breakdowns Hurt Skinner and His Chances to Make Saves

Goaltender Stuart Skinner continues to face criticism, but in this case, he shouldn’t be held responsible for the result. The Oilers’ defensive play is an issue as the team continues to give up high-quality rush chances, often due to costly turnovers. The forwards are leaving the defenseman in prone positions, and the defensemen aren’t elite enough to handle the swings.

On Thursday, the Devils pushed the pace and played a simple game by putting the puck on the net with traffic in front. The Oilers didn’t have a defenseman that could push the forwards out of the way to give their goaltender a clear look.

Despite ongoing frustrations with Skinner, he delivered a strong performance against the Devils, making key saves while receiving minimal offensive support. It’s fair to argue he hasn’t been perfect and perhaps not good enough to get the Oilers through a competitive playoff run, but Skinner has proven he can play well. He can even make big stops when needed.

The Oilers Feel Like a Different Team from Last Season

One of the big storylines this week from analysts is how different this roster looks from last season’s team. Their performance against the Devils was another bit of evidence to suggest those analysts are correct.

The Oilers need a big win in a dominant fashion, but they can’t seem to pull that game together. Without it, it’s hard to see how this group will go on a run to regain their confidence. Their inability to close out games is becoming a growing concern.

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