Last night, the Oilers were gunning for their ninth straight win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Edmonton played a fantastic game, held a lead entering the third period, and ended with a new record high in shots on goal - but the team lost for a reason that's become all too familiar.
With the score at 3-2 in the third period, Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner was unable to make a couple easy saves, and the game suddenly fell out of hand. Skinner made 17 saves on only 22 shots against, and despite a great effort from the Oilers' skaters, they were let down by the goaltending.
After the game, Skinner made some concerning comments in his post-game interviews. Skinner took full acceptance of the blame, and acknowledged that he alone cost the team the win.
Oilers fans have seen this type of comment before, especially from goaltender Jack Campbell. It's critical to the team's success that the goaltender is confident - we've seen before how these self-blaming comments can spiral into scared performances in the net.
After winning his last seven starts and with the team excelling in their all-around okay, the Oilers goaltending issue was masked for a while. Last night, the problem reared it's head, and once again Oilers' fans are doubting whether the 25-year old sophomore Skinner can be a reliable starting goaltender. If he begins to struggle again, the Oilers will be forced to turn to Pickard or Campbell, neither of which are options to beat an elite team like the Tampa Bay Lightning.
