A 3-0 lead, a roaring home crowd, and a power play firing on all cylinders. It all seemed perfectly set for the Edmonton Oilers to start their season with a bang. Instead, it ended in a gut-punch 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames and in true Oilers fashion, the online meltdown was just as swift as the on-ice one.
Can the Oilers Trust Their Goaltending After Another Collapse?
While the team dominated early, the game turned sharply after Calgary clawed back goal by goal, eventually tying it in the third period before winning in the eighth round of the shootout. Edmonton controlled large stretches of the night but couldn’t close it out, leaving fans furious.
And the target of their anger? Not the defense or the offense. Once again, goaltending took center stage, and not in a good way.
Following the loss, Oilers fans flooded social media with posts that ranged from sarcastic jabs to outright fury. Many pinned the blame squarely on goaltender Stuart Skinner, a familiar theme in Oil Country.
One user posted, “Watching Wolf vs Skinner and it’s evident what a talent gap there is. One goalie is elite, and I’m not sure if the other is even a backup.”
Watching Wolf vs Skinner and it’s evident what a talent gap there is. One goalie is elite, and I’m not sure if the other is even a backup at best.
— Joe Popyk (@JPopyk28480) October 9, 2025
Another commented, “It wouldn’t be Oilers hockey without disappointing your fans on opening night by blowing a 3-0 lead.”
It wouldn’t be Oilers hockey without disappointing your fans on opening night by blowing a 3-0 lead.
— The G.O.A.T. (@demslickwindows) October 9, 2025
The tone only got sharper from there. “Slam dunk win until Skinner reared his ugly head AGAIN!!! That third goal was EMBARRASSING!!! Dude handled that puck like Patrick Star.”
Slam dunk win until Skinner reared his ugly head AGAIN!!! Yeah, the first two Flames goals were mostly because of slop defence, but that third goal was EMBARRASSING!!! Dude handled that puck like Patrick Star: “Uhhhhhhhhhhh”. Should have been two well-earned points, unacceptable
— y – Finn 🇨🇦 (@oilersjayscan) October 9, 2025
One fan took a direct shot at management: “Stan, you’ve made great moves!! Now FIX THE GOALTENDING!! This is it, I’m done with Skinner.”
Stan, you’ve made great, great moves!! Now FIX THE GOALTENDING!!! And until he does, PLAY PICKARD!!! This is it, I’m done with Skinner. I’m not doing this for yet another year. Literally all this team needs is goaltending, so PLEASE GO FIND SOME!! I DON’T CARE HOW!!!
— y – Finn 🇨🇦 (@oilersjayscan) October 9, 2025
These tweets, albeit dramatic, summed up the mood. Faith in Skinner is on thin ice.
For about 30 minutes, Edmonton looked every bit the contender. Leon Draisaitl reached a milestone with his 400th NHL goal, Andrew Mangiapane scored a beauty against his former team, and David Tomasek earned a crisp power-play assist. Connor McDavid was, unsurprisingly, everywhere.
But it didn’t last.
A deflection made it 3-1. A high-stick-reviewed power play goal brought the Flames within one. Then, just 40 seconds into the third, the Oilers’ night unraveled completely. A routine dump-in turned into a disaster, with miscommunication between Skinner and Evan Bouchard leaving the puck exposed for Blake Coleman to tap in the tying goal.
Postgame, Skinner owned the mistake. “I think I just had to make a quicker decision, the game happens fast down there,” he said. “It was just kind of a miscommunication, and I was slow to react to Coleman behind [Evan Bouchard] and it’s a goal.”
Despite making solid saves in the shootout and holding the Flames to just 22 shots in regulation, Skinner’s blunder overshadowed everything else. His .875 save percentage wasn’t disastrous, but the moment was.
While fans welcomed the depth up front, few believe the real issue has been addressed. Until Skinner shows he can be the guy, or Bowman finds someone who is, expect the tension around the Oilers’ crease to linger. The season may be young, but the patience already feels thin.
