Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner addresses his biggest weakness in net
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
In a recent interview, Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner made reference to having poor mechanics last season; in fact, so much so that he was ranked last among 64 NHL goalies in key areas of his goaltending.
Here is Stuart Skinner's full reply when he was asked where he could improve going into next season.
"It is about trying to control my movements in the net. Sometimes you can kind of get floppy out there, get sloppy, especially when you get tired. I find, for myself, if I'm able to stay strong in my core and lower body, it helps me. It is mainly about trying to stay strong and be fresh for a full 60 minutes."
Of course, recognizing one's weaknesses is the fist step toward getting better. During a Real Kyper and Bourne podcast, Steve Valiquette commented on some of Skinner's weaker areas in net.
In the podcast, Bourne asks the analyst, "What do you expect from him [Skinner]?"
"He struggles in the east to west game, whether it's 5v5 in the zone, or off the rush," Steve Valiqutte said. "He's the worst of 64 goalies moving east to west, and lacks confidence, and I wonder if he can get them [Edmonton] all the way."
Valiquette went on to say that he had four Data Scientists break-down the game, in order to identify three key areas of Stanley Cup winning teams, a decade-long study that revealed successful teams are strong in odd-man rushes, both when defending and attacking.
According to the report, Stuart Skinner allowed the most odd-man rush-goals in the NHL last season, 46 in fact, and also gave up the most goals on 5v5 rushes, 59. It's a clear area of concern for a goaltender that is expected to back-stop his team to a Stanley Cup Final.
Trouble is, he was also not very good in the last two Cup Finals, stats-wise. According to Money Puck, Skinner ranked 14 out of 16 goalies in Low Danger shots; and16 out of 16 in Medium Danger shots.
In High Danger shots, Skinner ranked 11 out of 16 goalies. These are all areas that Stuart Skinner has been addressing, and will continue to do going into training camp and the 2025-26 NHL season.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 409 ANSWERS Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner addresses his biggest weakness in net Can Stuart Skinner improves enough to take the Oilers to a Stanley Cup win? | ||
| yes | 234 | 57.2 % |
| no | 175 | 42.8 % |
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