Oilers turn back to Skinner in goal in must-win G6

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Edmonton Oilers, facing elimination against the Florida Panthers successful Game 6 connected Tuesday night, person flipped backmost to Stuart Skinner arsenic their starting goalie.

Skinner was pulled successful Games 3 and 4 successful Florida and was benched successful favour of backup Calvin Pickard successful their Game 5 nonaccomplishment successful Edmonton that crippled the Panthers a 3-2 bid lead.

"Feeling bully coming into tonight. I decidedly cognize that I person the assurance successful my teammates and coaching staff," Skinner said aft Edmonton's greeting skate. "I deliberation there's evidently a batch of content present still."

Skinner was benched aft the archetypal play successful Game 4, having fixed up 3 goals connected 17 shots. Pickard stopped 22 of 23 shots arsenic the Oilers won successful overtime to adjacent the Stanley Cup Final astatine 2-2. Pickard got the commencement successful Game 5 successful Edmonton, giving up 4 goals connected 18 shots successful a 5-2 loss, which enactment Florida successful a presumption to rise their 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup implicit the Oilers.

Skinner was besides pulled successful the 3rd play of their Game 3 blowout nonaccomplishment successful Florida aft giving up 5 goals connected 23 shots. He said it was hard watching Edmonton play from the seat implicit the past 3 games.

"My occupation is to halt the puck erstwhile I'm told to spell successful the net. Sometimes I get told that I'm not [in the net]. For sure, it's disappointing," Skinner said. "I've conscionable got to instrumentality to what my occupation is. [Those decisions] are implicit my wage grade. Whenever they archer maine to spell connected the net, I'm decidedly not going to accidental 'no.'"

Knoblauch said aft Game 5 that "there's nary responsibility astatine Calvin astatine each connected immoderate of those goals." But with their play connected the line, the Oilers manager decided to spell backmost to Skinner.

"Stu has been successful a batch of high-pressure games. He's played truly well," Knoblauch said. "We looked astatine the magnitude of elimination games he's played in. I deliberation determination were six past year. Every crippled that helium played in, they were truly coagulated if not spectacular performances. So, play connected the line, we've got a batch of assurance successful him."

Three of those elimination games came against the Panthers, who failed to adjacent retired Edmonton successful the 2024 Stanley Cup Final aft gathering astatine 3-0 bid lead, needing to triumph successful Game 7 to hoist the Cup for the archetypal clip arsenic a franchise. Skinner was large successful their Game 6 triumph successful Edmonton, stopping 20 of 21 shots to unit a winner-take-all game.

He's trying to repetition that feat 1 twelvemonth aboriginal and widen the Stanley Cup Final to a seventh crippled backmost successful Edmonton connected Friday night.

"He's astonishing successful the playoffs and had unthinkable games this year. There's conscionable a spot origin that we cognize that helium tin get the occupation done for us," Oilers prima Leon Draisaitl said. "In Game 4, helium was astonishing successful the archetypal period. It was america that fto him down. It doesn't look fair, right? So, we person afloat content successful him."

Skinner, 26, was the Oilers' superior starter successful the regular play with a 26-18-4 grounds successful 51 games and was their starter to statesman the archetypal circular against the Los Angeles Kings. But aft giving up 11 goals successful the archetypal 2 games of the series, helium was replaced arsenic starter by 33-year-old backup Pickard, who has played for six NHL teams successful 10 seasons. Pickard went 6-0 until an wounded successful the 2nd circular against Vegas gave Skinner the starting occupation again.

Overall, Pickard is 7-1 with a .886 prevention percent and a 2.85 goals-against average. Skinner is 7-6 with a .891 prevention percent and a 2.99 goals-against average.

In different Oilers lineup changes, defenseman John Klingberg draws successful for defenseman Troy Stecher, portion guardant Kasperi Kapanen replaces winger Viktor Arvidsson up front.

The Panthers person struggled with closing retired opponents implicit their past 2 runs to the Stanley Cup Final. They needed 7 games to destruct Edmonton past year. They mislaid Game 6 astatine location against the Toronto Maple Leafs successful the 2nd circular and mislaid Game 4 astatine location successful the Eastern Conference Final to Carolina. In some instances, they eliminated their hostile successful the pursuing game.

"We're going to person to bash a large occupation of matching their desperation," defenseman Seth Jones said. "At the aforesaid time, we spell into each bid readying connected playing 7 games. We privation to attack each crippled the aforesaid arsenic the 1 earlier and that's what we're going to bash tonight."