Oilers’ Stuart Skinner blames ‘puck luck’ after tough Game 2 loss to Kings

The Edmonton Oilers suffered a rough 5-4 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of the first round on Wednesday, and Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner took a lot of flack from fans after the performance. Skinner spoke about what happened that led to the loss, citing puck luck for the Kings.

“They’re getting some good puck luck right now,” Stuart Skinner said, via ESPN. “And the puck luck wasn’t on my side tonight. Every shot that they take seemed to go off a guy’s stick or a guy’s skate.”

Skinner faced 26 shots in the game, and allowed five goals, good for an .808 save percentage in the game, which is not going to cut it for the Oilers in these playoffs. The expectation was not for Skinner to carry Edmonton in these playoffs, but just to make the games winnable for the team’s high-powered offense. Despite the loss on Wednesday, Skinner is confident that he can bounce back as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday.

“Games like this, where you feel like the universe is against you and the puck’s not working well for you, it’s part of life. It’s part of the playoffs too,” Skinner said, via ESPN. “I’m sure I’ll feel this again at some point. The takeaway from tonight is to just wash it out. I know my game and I know who I am.”

The Oilers have shown what their high-powered offense can do in the first two games of the series, winning 7-4 in Game 1, and putting up four goals in Game 2. Ultimately, if Edmonton makes a deep run in these playoffs, that will be the reason. Despite the poor showing in Game 2, the Oilers remain confident in Skinner.

Oilers backing Stuart Skinner after Game 2 struggles

The Oilers are depending on Skinner to do just good enough so their offense can carry them, and head coach Kris Knoblauch expressed confidence in him bouncing back in Game 3.

“Any time he’s had an off game, he’s been able to play very well for us,” Kris Knoblauch said, via ESPN.

The Oilers came into these playoffs as one of the popular picks to go all the way. It is far from over, as the series is tied at one after the Game 2 loss, and Edmonton very well could still win the series going away, but we saw what could eventually be the team’s downfall in these playoffs. Trying to outscore teams with suspect goaltending is a tough recipe for playoff hockey. It might work in the regular season, but it is much harder to do when trying to win four best-of-seven series.

It will be interesting to see how Skinner fares in Game 3 on Friday in Los Angeles.