The Edmonton Oilers have been on a roll since they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on January 23. Indeed, after this game, they won their matches against the Buffalo Sabres and the Seattle Kraken. So there were many expectations that the team would perform at their very best in their match against the Detroit Red Wings on January 30 at Rogers Place. 

However, the home rink game saw the Oilers lose the match in a shootout. Indeed, the score was 2-2 even after overtime, but with the Oilers’ goaltender Stuart Skinner missing out on two consecutive blocking opportunities, the Red Wings managed to win the game 2-3 at Rogers Place. While many fingers were pointed towards the goaltender’s performance, it was something that was backed by none other than their coach.

Kris Knoblauch anticipated a plethora of questions during the post-match interview about the Oilers’ failure to secure a victory. And when he was asked about Stuart Skinner’s performance on the rink, he shared his thoughts, stating, “Yeah, Skins made some really big saves, especially on the penalty kill, and, um, you know, I think the one in the second period where they’re coming down, um, on their power play, but in the overtime making some big saves.”

To give an overview to the fans, Skinner achieved 32 saves. Indeed, it was a tough game, but the goaltender still managed to secure the puck out of the net those many times. “Uh, the one in the third period where he sticks out his pad on Larkin, and you know you need good goaltending, and we’ve been getting it from both of our guys, uh, Stuart especially because he’s getting the most, the majority of the starts, and tonight was an excellent, uh, night from him again,” said the Oilers’ coach.

There were moments in the game when Skinner proved his full potential to the Oilers. Indeed, his efforts weren’t denied by Knoblauch, as even though he knew that there would be backlash, he acknowledged that his team’s goaltender tried his best on the rink. But why so? This game was at Rogers Place. And the Oilers were on a three-game winning streak. However, compared to the saves made by Skinner, the Red Wings goaltender, Alex Lyon, made 45.

While this became the topic of discussion among the NHL community, especially the Oilers’ fans, the team’s coach didn’t want any doubts hovering over his goaltender. Furthermore, Knoblauch also appreciated the goaltending that his team has been doing, not only Skinner but also Calvin Pickard. So, despite such effort from Skinner, how did the Oilers lose this game?

Edmonton Oilers missed out big in the shootout

The first period of the game of the Edmonton Oilers against the Detroit Red Wings saw the home team’s domination. Indeed, Leon Draisaitl secured the first and a power play goal, followed by Jeff Skinner, making the scoreboard 2-0. With this, the pressure was on the Red Wings, but did they give up? Absolutely not!

In the second period, heading towards the final 10 minutes, Michael Rasmussen opened up the Red Wings’ quota on the scoreboard. However, Dylan Larkin, his teammate, followed him after a few minutes. 2-2 was the score at the end of the second period, and now the crowd at Rogers Place was ready for a heated action on the rink.

However, there were plenty of tries from both sides, but both of the goaltenders made sure that the score remained the same. The crowd’s anticipation increased, as even in the overtime, none of the teams was able to score. So when the game went to the shootout, the Oilers’ Connor McDavid was given the first chance, but his shot was blocked by goaltender Alex Lyon.

The puck was then passed to Lucas Raymond of the Red Wings, who did not disappoint by scoring for his team. Similarly, just like their captain missed their chance, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins followed the same, and the Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin scored to end the match. Indeed, the home team’s hope of continuing their winning streak was shattered, but still, the Oilers are at the top of the Pacific Division.