Oilers hoping ‘Mr. Game 4’ shows up in critical match with Panthers

Now, to no surprise, not every fan shares the same sentiment about Skinner heading into Game 4. Many who don’t believe in the Edmonton product think it’s doom from here for the Oilers.

“Last time Skinner stumbled, they put in Pickard and it worked great. Why tf wouldn’t they do it again!?!?” – Matt Neshevich via Facebook

“Pickard is a better goalie technically, and Skinner plays in slow motion. I would put Pickard in not only because the team plays better in front of him, but also because it will throw the Panthers off. Two very different goalies, and they would need to adjust their game to try and score. Anytime you force the other team to adjust to your play is a win and gives you a little more of an edge.” – Nick Zivkovic via Facebook

“I guess our year is over, Stu couldn’t catch a fly.” – Terry Parsons via Facebook

“Builds you up only to let you down at the worst possible times. That is why the team doesn’t have confidence in his game when it counts.” – Emily Snow via X

“Oh dear God no. May as well hand the cup to the Panthers. Skinner needs to go.” – Marci via Facebook

These comments are relatively mild compared to what has come to light online over the past week. Stuart Skinner’s wife, Chloe, shared during an episode of Breaking the Ice Podcast that she and her family have received death threats from alleged fans.

“This year definitely got intense. There was times where security had to be involved. My DMs can be filled with death threats towards the kids, to myself, from anonymous accounts. People hiding behind their screens. It can get really ugly. People threatening if they ever see us, they’re going to take us out. It gets intense. And I’m making it lighthearted right now, but when I do read those, I get really scared, and I do obviously worry for the safety of my family and my young boys. It’s terrifying to think that there might be people out there who are going to hurt us over the result of a game. It’s a little deranged.”

No matter how critical you want to be about a player’s performance, it should never go this far. Death threats towards children and family members are heartbreaking to hear about. Unfortunately, on social media, people can lack empathy and become so desensitized that they say whatever they want without considering the potential impact on the person on the other side.

From what Chloe Skinner mentioned, these threats occurred during the middle of the season, not recently. But regardless, it’s disturbing to hear what lengths people will go to express their frustrations and how they forget that this is ultimately just a game.

Let’s keep the vibes positive and the conversation reasonable here in Game 4, no matter the outcome. Playing in the Stanley Cup Final is an amazing experience, one we should enjoy.