Stuart Skinner Sounds Frustrated After “Super Weird” Oilers Rematch

There couldn’t have been a stranger way for Stuart Skinner to make his Pittsburgh Penguins debut. A Tuesday night tilt against his former team — and Tristan Jarry, the goaltender he was traded for — who the Edmonton Oilers believe is an upgrade and will help their chances of winning a Stanley Cup.

Skinner wasn’t only looking to make a good first impression on Sidney Crosby and company, but also to stick it to his old teammates, who were on the verge of history with Leon Draisaitl sitting one point away from 1,000 for his career.

Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done, because Connor McDavid and the Oilers are nearly impossible to stop, and it was full on full display in Pittsburgh. McDavid (two goals, two assists) and Draisaitl (four assists) each recorded four-point nights, getting the milestone moment out of the way just 11:38 into the game.

The Penguins didn’t do much to help their new netminder, though Skinner still wasn’t pleased with his performance, feeling he could have made a few more saves to keep his new team in it.

Skinner said:

“It was definitely different, super weird taking a nap and thinking that I’m playing the old team. The first period, I feel like, for the first five minutes, I kind of had to settle my game in and calm my mind down. And as the game went on, I think I did a better and better job at that. Obviously not the way that I wanted to start, I think I definitely could’ve helped these guys out on a few goals… I didn’t really like the way I was moving, especially in the second period. And then obviously the Savoie goal can’t go in, and I think the Bouchard goal is a bad read on my part, so I think those two I gotta for sure have.”

The 27-year-old Skinner allowed five goals on just 22 shots in defeat, seeing his record for the season fall to 11-9-4 to go with a 2.93 goals-against average, a .887 save percentage, and two shutouts.

It Might Stay Weird for Stuart Skinner Until the Trade Deadline

While Skinner hopes to settle into his life as a Penguin, he might not want to get too comfortable, given the team’s current state and future outlook.

Pittsburgh’s strong start to the season is quickly fading, having lost six consecutive games, going 0-2-4 in that stretch, now tied for the fewest wins in the Eastern Conference (14).

If the slide continues, general manager Kyle Dubas could once again turn to selling off veterans, as he has in recent years. Skinner, a pending UFA, would be a prime candidate to flip ahead of the deadline, and speculation has already begun about a potential fit with the Montreal Canadiens, who have struggled mightily at the position this season.

Penguins reporter Josh Yohe has noted that the team wants to give Skinner a legitimate opportunity to prove himself worthy of an extension beyond this year, but those plans could quickly change if Pittsburgh’s losing ways continue.

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