We are approaching the end of January, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still good. In fact, they are so good that they are second only behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division, riding the wave of a four-game winning streak. For the first time in a couple of seasons, it seems the Penguins’ playoff appearance is no longer a distant dream.
Of course, Stuart Skinner has been good. Over the last five games, Skinner has registered one impressive SV% after another, with the number dipping below .900 on only one occasion. Did Kyle Dubas actually get the better end of the blockbuster goalie trade with the Edmonton Oilers?
Analyst Weighs In On Stuart Skinner’s Recent Exploits With the Pittsburgh Penguins
Of course, we were all pining for Skinner to show up in front of the net for Penguins vs. Oilers on Jan. 22. Instead, Arturs Silovs showed up and thoroughly dominated the Oilers on their home ice, registering a save percentage of .938. However, the league has obviously closely followed Skinner’s performance with the Penguins. In the 11 games he has played with Crosby and company so far, the former Oilers goaltender has registered a SV% of .906.
Each time the Oilers lost, disappointed fans quickly raided social media comment sections to hold Skinner responsible for the team’s woes. Now that the 27-year-old is saving shots and the Penguins are winning games, there is enough room to speculate if Skinner has just magically become a better goalie with a change of scenery.
However, Matt Larkin just pulled out some stats that go a long way to show that the Oilers are not really missing out on anything. According to Larkin, Skinner has these bursts of goaltending excellence. Skinner’s excellent numbers are not a novelty; the goaltender has hot streaks when he outperforms everyone’s expectations of him.
“Anyone doing the Stuart Skinner is back thing clearly hasn’t ridden this crazy train before. Career SV% splits by month: October .896, November .894, December .911, January .922, February .888, March .902, April .926. Just spin a dial,” Larkin posted on his social media.
This is not the first time that Skinner has dropped jaws with one performance after another in January. It is not outside the realm of possibility that the Penguins just happen to be enjoying the fruits of one of Skinner’s well-documented hot streaks right now. Or perhaps, Pittsburgh is really excelling as a team overall.
Skinner may not be an entirely different goalie with the Penguins than he was with the Oilers, but the Penguins are clearly better than last season. Skinner’s hot streak takes away little from the fact that the Penguins are playing their best game in a very long time.
