Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was all praise for Edmonton Oilers duo Stuart Skinner and Connor McDavid even before the duo’s crucial roles in the Oilers’ 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.
Edmonton has taken a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series in their bid for a consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27.
Wayne Gretzky’s Prophetic Take on Stuart Skinner
“The Great One” appeared for a buzz-worthy interview on “NHL Face Off” on the sidelines of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, May 24. While talking about the playoffs and star players from various teams, he singled out Edmonton netminder Skinner for special praise.
“And Skinner, listen, everybody counted him out and he’s got three shutouts in the last few games,” Gretzky said.
Florida looks like the defending champs so far but @WayneGretzky thinks Sam Reinhart's absence is looming large on the Cats 👀
That + Wayne's keys for Carolina to get back into the series ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bCNU9pQLvP
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT)
A day later, Skinner had another stellar outing against the Stars in the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, May 25, making 33 saves on the night and denying Dallas in 14 high-impact chances during five-on-five play.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman praised Skinner’s performance during his “32 Thoughts” podcast on Monday, May 26.
“I have to say, it wasn’t a true Skinner performance, shutout, or six goals, but it was his best performance of the playoffs,” Friedman said. “I don’t care that. It wasn’t a shutout. Skinner was the Oilers’ best player, and that’s as confident as he has looked in a net these playoffs. Now he’s got to be consistent. He’s got to keep doing it.”
Oilers Gaining Momentum in Stanley Cup Playoffs
Skinner, who signed a three-year, $7.8-million contract with the Oilers, has had an uneven postseason. He conceded 11 goals in the first two playoff Games in Round 1 before being pulled and replaced by Calvin Pickard, who was between the pipes for six consecutive Edmonton wins. Pickard was injured during the second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights and Skinner returned to the ice.
In Sunday’s game, Oilers captain Connor McDavid led from the front, scoring two goals in the team’s victory. Forward Zach Hyman (2), Evan Bouchard, and John Klingberg (1 each) also found the back of the net.
“You have to win games different ways. You have to have dominant nights, you have to have nights where maybe your goalie is better than theirs,” McDavid said via NHL.com. “You have to have nights where your special teams gets it done. That wasn’t tonight, although I thought the kill was good.”
Jason Robertson was the sole goal scorer for Dallas on the night. The Stars were without the services of top center Roope Hintz, who had to be helped off the ice in Game 2 after taking a slash to the left foot from Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Dallas coach Pete DeBoer called attention to Hintz’s absence in the postgame press conference.
“Tonight, we were without our No. 1 center, we were on the road here in a tough environment. I thought we played a really good hockey game for a good stretch of that game,” DeBoer said.
