Oilers fans worried after Stuart Skinner struggles in preseason debut vs. Kraken

Skinner is entering this season on the hot-seat after losing the starter's role in the last playoffs, and seeing his save percentage crater to a .896. The Oilers goalie needs to show improvement this year, but it didn't happen tonight.

Stuart Skinner made 15 saves on 18 shots for an .833 save percentage tonight as the Oilers lost 4-1 to the Kraken. He wasn't the sole reason they lost, and there were some defensive breakdowns - but there were also some leaky goals against.

Particularly on the goals from Logan Morrisson and Ben Meyers, Skinner just allowed open areas in the body where pucks squeaked through.

Oilers fans understand that preseason hockey doesn't mean much, but seeing the same pattern of weak goals against doesn't install much confidence that there will be an improvement from Skinner this season.

After the game, multiple fans took to social media to express the continued worry about goaltending.

Skinner did come into Oilers training camp this year 15 pounds lighter, and clearly excited to work with a new goalie coach in Pete Aubry. There's hope that his slimmer physique will help with his lateral movement and more - but that still doesn't explain these squeaker goals.

At the end of the day, the Oilers are committed to Stuart Skinner, and the fans want to see him succeed. Hopefully he can pull his numbers up higher than an .833 in his regular season debut.