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Stuart Skinner Reacts to Making Penguins Debut Against Oilers After Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Dec 17, 2025 9:35 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins returned home Tuesday in a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, amounting to a revenge game for both teams' starting goalies, Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry.

Four days after the franchises swapped goalies, they faced their former teams, and in Skinner's case, he made his Penguins debut.

The 27-year-old netminder acknowledged the unusual timing, noting before the game that the schedule created circumstances he had not experienced in the NHL.

“It’s funny. We’re ripping off the Band-Aid right away,” Skinner said. “I get to play my old teammates, and me and Brett [Kulak] get to do it together. That’s nothing but exciting.”

NHL players are human, too ️

Stuart Skinner says it was weird facing his former team, but he managed to settle in during the first period pic.twitter.com/aHrBqRKEav
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) December 17, 2025

After Pittsburgh's 6-4 loss to the Oilers with Skinner in net, the goalie discussed the weird feeling of making his debut against his former team.

“Yeah, it was definitely different,” Skinner said. “Super weird, like, taking a nap and thinking that I’m playing the old team. So, the first period, I feel like for the first five minutes I kind of had to settle my game in and calm my mind down. And as the game went on, I think I did a better and better job at that.”

Goalie Stuart Skinner was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Skinner also addressed the trade itself for the first time, saying the move didn't catch him off guard because of the steady speculation surrounding Edmonton’s situation in goal.

“There’s a lot of noise around goalies,” Skinner said. “It’s just part of the business. It’s a trade that needed to be done, and I think it’s good for both teams.”

Skinner finished with 17 saves on 22 shots in the defeat as the Penguins dropped their sixth straight. Pittsburgh begins a road trip at 7 p.m. ET Thursday against the Ottawa Senators as the Penguins look to stabilize their season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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