Stuart Skinner’s perfect performance in Game 4 has silenced his doubters and critics. After Game 3’s loss, the noise around his name grew louder, with some never wanting to see him between the pipes for the Oilers again.
The tune changed as the Edmonton native posted a shutout against the Golden Knights on Monday night, and fans celebrated his name online following the win.
“This shutout has to mean the WORLD to Stuart Skinner. He’s not clueless. He feels the heat from the fans. With all the lights on him, he comes up huge with a solid game. Love it for him.” – OilersAdam via X
“TOTAL DOMINATION!!! STUUUUUU with the shutout baby!! 1.00SV%… how do you like those apples HATERS!! RIIIIICOOOO and the Kane train with huge goals. Entire team WIN tonight. Proud of the team. UNSTOPPABLE. LFG.” – ShannonBaerwald via X
“Stuart Skinner. Game 4 shutout. He proved I and many others wrong tonight. But that’s just what we wanted to see from him. Hell of a performance tonight. Stay locked in Stu! 3-1 series lead for the Oil!” – SchmiddyG via X
Skinner has gained many doubters over the past year. Statistically, he did not have a great regular season, and with how he started this postseason, many lost faith in him quickly.
Most Oilers fans want to see him succeed; they don’t want to hate on him. Fans who are critical of his play are those who care deeply about the team and feel that his inconsistent play has held this team back. But in Game 4, that’s exactly what they wanted to see from him.
It’s not about posting a shutout all the time, but about giving the Oilers steady and reliable goaltending, and that’s what the fans saw from Stuart Skinner in Game 4.
“Stu played very well. He didn’t have to make a TON of saves, but some of the saves he made were huge and stopped Vegas from trying to build ANY momentum.” – Ryan Baron via Facebook
“Not a big Skinner fan, but give credit when it’s due. He played a steady and consistent game. Oilers don’t need a Vezina-type goalie, but one they know they can rely on. Last night, Skinner was that goalie. The team rallied and played a solid game.” – Marty Milner via Facebook
“First to admit, Skinner played a great game. Made the big ones when we needed them.” – Cdaly6391 via Instagram
“If people are gonna complain about Stu, they also have to give credit where credit is due. He kept his game simple and had one hell of a game! The whole team had a game that was such a 180 from Saturday night. Let’s go Oilers!” – Stevemalarsky via Instagram
“Just a reminder to all you bozos screeming, ‘where are the Skinner haters now’. Nobody hates Skinner. They want him to play well and succeed. He hasn’t been most of the year, and we’re not watching our kids play TimBits. If he had this game consistently, he wouldn’t be the hot topic he is.” – Shaun_Chi97 via X
“It could have been a sweep. We all go hard on Skinner, but I don’t think anybody hates him. All we want is a chance to win every game. Not asking for regular shutouts.. Just asking him to find a consistent level of performance. Battle. If he’s back. He’s welcome. Oil in 5.” – Savoilers via X
“Quality game from Stu. As much as he deflated the team last game with the first GA, he juiced the boys early with a huge save.” – StonyOil via X
Skinner deserves his flowers after that game and all the heat he has received this season. He gave the Oilers a chance to win, and that’s all you can really ask out of him. Personally, I give goaltenders a longer leash than some fans because I believe you need to consider and watch everything that happens before a goal goes in. Not every goal that is allowed is the goaltender’s fault.
The only thing fans want now is consistency from Stuart Skinner and a continuation of his performance in Game 4.
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