Oilers Forward Jeff Skinner Can’t Catch a Break

At the conclusion of Edmonton’s 2024-25 schedule, Skinner had suited up for 1,078 NHL regular season contests. He’d long since shattered the league record for most games played before making a postseason appearance, previously held by Ron Hainsey at 907 games.

But with Edmonton headed to the playoffs, officially clinching its spot on April 11, Skinner was at last going to be able to put all that behind him. His dubious record would now be an inspiring story of perseverance.

Skinner’s Playoff Premiere

On April 21, about 80 seconds into Game 1 of the first round series between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena, Skinner hopped over the boards for his first-ever shift in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Skinner went on to log 11:12 of ice time in Game 1. He assisted on a goal by Mattias Janmark, equalled his regular season career high with five hits, and fired one shot on goal in a dramatic tilt that ended with Los Angeles winning 6-5 on a last-minute goal.

The five-foot-11 winger finished the game with a team-worst plus/minus rating of minus-2, but on balance had a solid outing. He certainly wasn’t the reason Edmonton lost, and didn’t look out of place in the pressure cooker that is springtime hockey.

Nearly a decade and a half after being selected seventh overall by Carolina in the 2010 NHL Draft, the Toronto native had finally suited up in the postseason. And that was the last we’ve seen of him.

Kane Takes Skinner’s Spot

After missing the entire 2024-25 season while recovering from multiple surgeries, Evander Kane made his return for the Oilers in Game 2 against Los Angeles. Someone had to come out of Edmonton’s lineup to make room for the veteran winger, and that wound up being Skinner, who, just one game after his postseason debut, was made a healthy scratch by Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch.

Edmonton got blasted in Game 2, losing by a score of 6-2 to fall behind Los Angeles 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. But the Oilers stormed back, winning the next four games to eliminate the Kings. Kane played a huge role in Edmonton’s success, scoring pivotal tying goals in both Games 3 and 5 and causing all kinds of headaches for the Kings with his physical play and presence in the paint.

Knoblauch Sticks with Lineup

You stick to what’s working, and that’s exactly what Knoblauch is doing. From the crease on out, Edmonton’s coach hasn’t made a single change to his lineup since the start of Game 3 against Los Angeles, as the Oilers have reeled off four consecutive victories to advance to Round 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

And so, Skinner will almost certainly find himself a healthy scratch for the sixth consecutive game when Edmonton faces off for Game 1 with the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (May 6).

There is a very good chance we haven’t seen the last of Skinner this spring. Whether because of injury, match-up, or just subpar play, Knoblauch is eventually going to make a change to his lineup as the playoffs roll on, and Skinner is quite likely the first forward to draw back in.

While it makes sense that Skinner is currently the odd man out, you can’t help but feel for him to have waited this long for an invite to the postseason ball, only to get bumped from the dance floor once the party starts. Skinner turns 33 on May 16, and he might not have many more chances to experience this again.