The similarities between last postseason and this postseason for Stuart Skinner

Stuart Skinner is having an interesting postseason.

His first two games in these playoffs were Games 1 and 2 in the first round. In just 108:02 minutes, he allowed 11 goals on 58 shots for an abysmal .810 save percentage, leading to two losses. The Edmonton Oilers started Calvin Pickard for the next six games, winning all of them.

Pickard suffered an injury in Game 2’s overtime victory, meaning Skinner was back in between the pipes for Game 3. The first goal wasn’t great, the second one about a minute later was a defensive breakdown, and William Karlsson was given far too much time on the third one.

Then came the fourth goal. The Oilers scored the game-tying goal with just over three minutes left. It looked as if Game 3 was going to overtime, but the Oilers stopped playing, He cut the angle down a little too much as he ended up in Vauxhall, and Leon Draisaitl made the wrong split-second decision, deflecting the puck into the net with four-tenths of a second left in the game.

Skinner responded well in Game 4, saving all 23 shots he faced. That shutout streak continued into Game 5, as he saved all 24 shots he faced, giving him over two hours of scoreless hockey. The thing is, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

Last postseason

The Oilers had an easier time disposing of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2024 postseason. On top of not allowing a goal on the penalty kill, Skinner had a strong .910 save percentage in the five games played, including his first career shutout in a pivotal Game 4 to put the Oilers up 3-1. 

Skinner’s struggles in 2024 came in the first three games of the second round. In those three games, Skinner saved 46 of 58 shots for a .793 save percentage, nearly identical to his numbers in the first two games against the Kings this postseason.

The Oilers elected to use Calvin Pickard for Games 4 and 5, and Skinner responded well with the team’s back against the wall, saving 29 of 32 shots for a .906 save percentage.

That reset worked for the rest of the postseason. Against the Dallas Stars, Skinner saved 142 shots on 154 shots for a .922 save percentage, by far his best save percentage in any series of his career. In the Stanley Cup Finals, he finished with a .909 save percentage, allowing 16 goals on 175 shots.

As a whole, he finished the 2024 postseason with a .901 save percentage in 23 games. When you remove those first three games against the Canucks, Skinner’s save percentage jumps to .913.

The similarities

In 2024, Skinner had three rough games to start the second round, before returning and posting a save percentage above .900 to knock off the Oilers’ second round opponent. Skinner’s first three games of the 2025 postseason were a struggle, but he responded perfectly in his next two games to knock off the Oilers’ second round opponent.

Waiting for the Oilers in the 2024 Western Conference Final were the Dallas Stars. Unless there’s some unlikely comeback from the Winnipeg Jets, it looks as if the Oilers will once again face the Stars, the team Skinner had his best postseason series against.

Hopefully, the 26-year-old netminder can build off his back-to-back shutouts in Games 4 and 5.