Another match, another disappointing loss for the Edmonton Oilers. After falling against the Detroit Red Wings despite taking a two-goal lead on January 31, the Oilers failed to mount a comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. In another match with plenty of goals, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner conceded one too many for the team to win the clash.

There was no shortage of drama, either. The refs disallowed Leon Draisaitl’s goal with two minutes left in the final period with an offside call. Meanwhile, Joseph Woll stopped Corey Perry’s shot with seconds left in the game. However, despite everything, the fans fixated on one man’s issues that they thought cost the Oilers a victory against the Maple Leafs.

“Oilers took dumb penalties and Skinner couldn’t save anything,” commented one fan who blamed goaltender Stuart Skinner for conceding too many goals. “And then Klingberg was a reason of a no goal which would’ve went to OT and guaranteed a point. Very disappointed,” added the Edmonton Oilers fan. Yet was Stuart Skinner solely responsible for the loss? Let’s take a deeper look.

The Oilers were on the back foot right from the starting buzzer. The Maple Leafs found the back of Skinner’s net thrice in the first 20 minutes of the game, where not just the goaltender, but the entire defense fell apart. Two of those three goals came via power play as the Oilers struggled to regroup. It was only in the second period that the Oilers took control of the game.

However, control didn’t translate to goals. While the Edmonton Oilers kept Toronto at bay in the second period, Evan Bouchard responded with the only goal of the period. Yet just when things started looking promising, Toronto scored just 18 seconds into the final period, once again stretching their lead to three goals. And this is why fans seemed furious at Skinner.

What did the Edmonton Oilers goaltender’s stats say?

Fans who watched the failed comeback and the possession and hots the Oilers had after the first period blamed Skinner. “Can you imagine if they had a goalie who could stop a few goals? Oilers have to score 4-5 a game to win with Skinner in (the) net,” commented one individual. While fan sentiments and the stats may not line up sometimes, it wasn’t the case this time.

The Toronto Maple Leafs may have torn through the Edmonton Oilers’ defense in the first period, but that wasn’t the case in the second period. The final stats showed that the Leafs took 28 shots against Skinner, four of which found their mark. That’s why one NHL fan highlights the need for the Oilers to break their habit of slow starts.

“Stop these awful first periods. Or get a goalie that can get you through 20 minutes and 10 shots,” commented the fan. However, even the fan who highlighted the 1st-period issues couldn’t help but point out Skinner’s flaws. That’s because the story was quite different on the other end of the ice, with Joseph Woll withstanding an absolute onslaught of 48 shots.

However, an extraordinary effort from Woll denied the Oilers a victory. While luck was on the Toronto goaltender’s side when Klingberg’s mistake saw the Oilers’ fourth goal get reversed, Woll pulled off some epic saves to keep his team in the game. Hence, one Edmonton Oilers fan commented, “Skinner’s carcass was almost carried to a win.”

One such game-saving moment came with just a few seconds left on the clock. Draisaitl pulled off a feint to make Woll commit, only to pass the puck to Corey Perry, who shot a screamer toward an open net. However, Joseph Woll sprawled to deny the Oilers’ final chance of taking the game to OT. However, no such save came from Skinner, and so the NHL fan continued.

“Sucks to see Klingberg’s first impact be a bad one too. Bowman has to figure out what the plan is. Is Klingberg really the big Defensive add? Does he actually think this kind of goaltending is good enough? Do enough forwards produce?” wrote the fan. Even the fans who wanted to leave this loss behind and focus on the upcoming match with St. Louis couldn’t help but mention Skinner.

“Deserved better. Stu stunk it up in this one, team around him played great. Whatever, entertaining finish, let’s move on to the next,” wrote an Edmonton Oilers fan. Yet, what are your views on the loss? Was Stuart Skinner the only one to blame? Or does the entire squad need to clean up their game? Write your views in the comments.