Stuart Skinner lost the net to backup goalie Calvin Pickard when his playoff struggles continued to affect the team, where Skinner later admitted that the emotion of the playoffs were affecting him. It's a bold move from the Oilers to move back to Skinner with their season on the line, but he is the goaltender that got them here. If the Oilers go down, they go down with their guy Stuart Skinner in net. Maybe, tonight's performance will dictate the Oilers' offseason plans to get an established goalie.
Additionally, Oilers coach Knoblauch is going to scratch an NHL legend in Corey Perry. Simply put, Perry has not been a good enough player in this year's playoffs, and it looks like time is finally catching up to him. Now 39 years old, Perry has just been slow and not contributing much of anything. In his place, Adam Henrique will draw back into the lineup after missing time with a leg injury.
When asked about his bottom 6 performance after game 5, Coach Knoblauch stressed his love for the fourth line, but was clearly looking for more from the third line, which has prompted the scratch of Corey Perry. It's unfortunate that Perry hasn't been able to the playoff performer he was known to be with the Oilers, but Father Time catches up to all.
Turning back to Stuart Skinner is a bold choice, but it feels like the right one. Between Skinner and Pickard, Skinner is clearly the goaltender with a future on this team. They need him to be a part of the success, or know that they need to make a significant upgrade in net. Tonight's the ultimate challenge to Skinner, and hopefully, he's up to the task of extending the Oilers season.
