Angry Stuart Skinner & Takeaways from Oilers’ 7-3 Win Over Canucks

The Edmonton Oilers finally secured a blowout win, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Saturday night. Edmonton’s explosive third period sealed the win, marking what the team hopes is a significant breakthrough in their offense. Key contributions from Connor McDavid and depth scorers like Connor Brown were crucial, while head coach Kris Knoblauch’s strategic timeout proved impactful. Here are three major takeaways from the Oilers’ convincing road victory over a playoff-caliber divisional opponent.

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Knoblauch Had a Great Game as Coach

Head coach Kris Knoblauch’s decision to take a timeout when Vancouver closed the gap to 3-2 was a pivotal moment. The Oilers responded immediately, regaining control of the game and completely dominating the third period. The timeout helped shift momentum, resulting in a four-goal explosion in less than five minutes to put the game out of reach. This shows the team’s ability to respond to coaching and execute against playoff-caliber teams.

Knoblauch also made a smart call on the Corey Perry goal when he left the fourth line on when the Oilers had an offensive faceoff. That’s typically a time when the first line comes on. Instead, Knoblauch kept the fourth line on and they scored.

Power Play Finally Delivers

Connor McDavid had his first three-point game of the season, with a goal on the power play. McDavid had a goal and two assists and McDavid looked dangerous on the man advantage, even in the attempts that didn’t capitalize.

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McDavid said after the game the power play didn’t get credit for the close one that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins almost scored, but they got rewarded on the third attempt. He then said he was hoping Saturday’s game would be a catalyst to get things going.

The power play was a bonus on a night when the team was really solid at five-on-five. Mattias Janmark’s three-assist performance and Connor Brown’s two-goal game, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman added two points each, showcasing the team’s depth when it matters most. After struggling to score five or more goals in most games this season, Edmonton finally broke through in a statement win over a divisional rival.

Stuart Skinner Was Livid Despite the Win

While the Oilers celebrated a much-needed blowout, goaltender Stuart Skinner‘s frustration on the Canucks’ third goal was evident. Skinner made 17 saves on 20 shots for a .850 save percentage and was visibly upset after the game, with teammates trying to calm him in the handshake line.

Skinner was frustrated and ice cold as the team came to congratulate him after the win. The moment might have simply been a player frustrated that one got by him late in the game while he trying to get his save percentage up or while in the running for Team Canada. Either way, he had no chance to stop it.

Honestly, it seems like he was upset at something else. Either a bad penalty late in the game or defensive lapses irked him. It’s not clear why Skinner was so annoyed but something bothered him. It was a surprising reaction from someone who is normally pretty calm. It wasn’t a goal that reflected poorly on him, but it got under his skin.

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