Manage your account
…
Do the Edmonton Oilers have the worst goaltending so far in the playoffs?
Two games in, it certainly seems that way.
While Ottawa's Linus Ullmark set the bar for mediocrity pretty low by allowing nine goals in two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton's Skinner managed to limbo underneath after getting pulled in a 7-2 blowout loss in Game 2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Skinner, who had been so dependable in the Oilers' run to the Stanley Cup final a year ago, has now given up 11 goals in back-to-back losses to the Kings.
Which raises the question: who should be in net for Game 3?
According to Kings fans, who were mock-chanting "We want Skinner!" after Calvin Pickard came in for the 9:30 of the third period of Wednesday's blowout loss, the answer is pretty clear.
You can't put Skinner back in the net. Not after he allowed five goals in Game 1 and another six goals in Game 2. Whatever magic he performed in the playoffs last year has disappeared. He has a 6.11 goals-against average and a .610 save percentage after two games. Those aren't the kind of numbers that get you back into the final.
lf anything, it gets you demoted to the AHL.
Credit goes to Los Angeles for making it difficult on Skinner. At the same time, it's not like the Oilers have made it easy on their starting goalie.
LIVE Game Thread: Kings Defeat the Oilers 6-2 in Game 2, Go Up 2-0 Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Kings (1-0) go up against the Edmonton Oilers (0-1) in Game 2 of the First Round Series in the Stanley Cup at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, April 23.
“No team in this league can give up the amount of Grade A's and high-danger chances that we've been giving up (and still win),” defenseman Darnell Nurse told reporters. “We've been hanging our goalie out to dry.”
Edmonton has given up five power play goals already in this series. So many of the goals have come on Grade A chances and point-blank opportunities.
I don't care who is in net. The Oilers' defense, which has allowed L.A.'s Quinton Byfield (two goals and three points) and Adrien Kempe (three goals and seven points) to look more like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — than McDavid (one goals and four points) and Draisaitl (two goals and three points) themselves have in this series — has to do a better job in front of their goalies.
“What do you want them to do?” winger Corey Perry said of Edmonton's goalies. “Two-on-ones, the Byfield goal — it's not (Skinner’s) fault. He’s making good saves, playing hard and battling for us. It's the play in front of him.”
Indeed, Skinner gave up nine goals in the first two games against Los Angeles a year ago. The big difference was that Edmonton also scored 11 goals combined in those two games — and then finished the first-round series with 22 goals in five games.
If the Oilers hope to turn this series around, they will have to get similar offense from their top guys — regardless of who is in their net.
