The Edmonton Oilers are going back to starting goalie Stuart Skinner after he was pulled during the third period of the team’s Game Three Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Skinner, who enters tonight ranked 11th this postseason in save percentage (.894), allowed five goals on 23 shot attempts in Game Three.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve been really impressed with how Stu has handled a lot of things, one being adversity,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said while speaking to members of the media earlier today. “Whether that’s in the regular season [or] playoffs. Things haven’t always gone smoothly, but he’s been able to work it out and respond nicely.”
Stuart Skinner has shown an ability to bounce back from adversity and even thrive at later points during the playoffs, particularly in Games Fours, Fives, and Sixes.
“Another one is just how well he’s played in the second half of series. That goes for every single series last year [and] this year,” Knoblauch continued. “There’s confidence on here’s a guy that’s going to just continue to get better as this series goes on, and hopefully we got a few more games that he can stand up and play really well.”
“We’ve gotten a lot more comfortable in places that we’re in now where you’re down & against the wall. I feel like that’s when we play our best hockey. Fate’s given us another opportunity here.”
Stuart Skinner on the #Oilers being down 2-1.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/3eL5f9h0cD
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 12, 2025
It makes sense that the Oilers would go back to Stuart Skinner for Game Four despite his performance on Monday Night. He has a 6-0 career record in Game Fours as well as a .955 save percentage.
“I’ve been getting a lot of texts about that, and I’ve always been like, ‘I’m not too sure what you guys are talking about,” Skinner told the media today. “I didn’t fully know the numbers, but I just think as series go on, I get better and better. I kinda know, just as series go on, I just feel like I start to get a little bit more of a rhythm, and hopefully, that continues.”
The Oilers are making some lineup changes, though. Defenseman Troy Stecher is expected to play tonight, while left winger Jeff Skinner will be starting in place of forward Viktor Arvidsson.
Stuart Skinner has NEVER LOST a Game 4 👀
He might just be “Mr. Game 4” with these career Game 4 stats 😤
(h/t: @SNstats) pic.twitter.com/ItrsXd0TLq
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 12, 2025
“It’s obviously a big game,” Knoblauch said. “I felt that we have a lot of good players. A lot of good players that have been in and out of the lineup. Some players haven’t seen any game action so far in this series. We felt that we could use a change. Have those guys come in and give us a boost. We’ve seen it throughout the playoffs, where we’ve made alterations to our lineup, and it’s benefited us… We feel that we’ve got something with guys who have been out, so we’re making some adjustments.”
Regardless of who is on the ice for Edmonton, Kris Knoblauch knows how important it is that the Oilers get on the board first.
“I think getting the first goal, the lead [is] so much easier to play with,” he explained. “The other team has to open it up. They’ve got to take some chances, and then that’s usually when you create a little bit more, is when the other team’s making chances. I think our focus this series – every series – has been to get a good start, get the first goal, play with the lead. It’s been so much easier when that has happened.”
The Oilers will be looking to avoid a 3-1 deficit tonight when they play the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. That game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
