Skinner under scrutiny as Oilers search for spark against Canucks
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Stuart Skinner, the Oilers' starting goalie all season and for each of their eight post-season games this year, allowed all four goals scored against his team Sunday night, some of them arguably his fault.
Stuart Skinner, rightly or wrongly, is being heavily scrutinized right now.
That's what happens in Canada, in Edmonton, when the local hockey heroes come up short the night before in a playoff game they didn't necessarily have to lose.
Soon after the horn sounded on the Oilers' 4-3 loss to the visiting Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series to go down two games to one, collective fingers — both blatantly and subtly — started pointing at various plays, actions and players that could be to blame.
And while the flow of any given National Hockey League game is a series of moments — with one thing leading to another, and so on — the spotlight often shines brightest on goaltending.
Skinner, the Oilers' starting goalie all season and for each of their eight post-season games this year, allowed all four goals scored against his team Sunday night, some of them arguably his fault.
His coaches thought as much, pulling the 25-year-old Edmonton native in favour of backup Calvin Pickard for most of the third period.
Some fans and critics feel Skinner deserves to wear the goat horns for this one. Some came to his defence.
