Oilers’ Late Rally Falls Short After Stuart Skinner Injury vs Stars

The Edmonton Oilers rallied and almost completed an unexpected third-period comeback on Wednesday night but ultimately fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. The game looked out of reach and seemingly took concerning turns when Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard appeared to get injured. Both returned, but when goaltender Stuart Skinner left after taking a knee to the head from Mikko Rantanen, things looked bleak for the Oilers.

Questions were raised about whether the Rantanen knee was dirty and the Oilers’ lack of response to two goalies seemingly being run by Stars players, but few can question the Oilers’ pushback without their top two stars.

Depth Stepped Up In What Looked Like An Inevitably Ugly Loss

Corey Perry, who scored one of Edmonton’s three goals, admitted he didn’t see the hit on Skinner live but wasn’t happy about the contact. Skinner laid face down on the ice for several seconds and didn’t move. Almost everyone on the ice was surprised by the reaction since it was hard to see the collision in real time. Upon slow motion, it was clear Skinner got rocked by a knee, and his neck jarred. Had he not been removed from the game by the Oilers, a concussion spotter would have made the call quickly thereafter.

Following the game, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that Skinner is unlikely to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip, adding to the Oilers’ concerns.