Oilers goalie Skinner ‘locked in’ entering Game 2 of Final vs. Panthers

EDMONTON -- Stuart Skinner left the ice following the Edmonton Oilers’ morning skate on Friday, took off his goalie pads, the top half of his equipment and with sweat dripping off his head, held court with the media for roughly 15 minutes.

In an era where many NHL goalies refuse to do media interviews on a game day, Skinner stood at his locker stall and answered questions from the various waves of reporters before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at Rogers Place on Friday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).

It spoke to the easy-going nature of Skinner, who is playing some of his best hockey for the Oilers, who will try to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series before the scene shifts to Florida for the next two games.

“It’s his confidence, and you can tell,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “His demeanor is different; he’s so locked in and that’s what I see in him. For us looking at him and the way he’s playing, he’s very confident right now and he’s doing all those things. He’s not just saying the right things, he’s doing it and is just building on that confidence.”

When Skinner is answering questions, joking with media members, it’s a sign he is ready to play. He is at his best when loose and it’s an attitude that seems to reverberate throughout the locker room.

“We have a ton of confidence in him and he’s shown such maturity and resilience and that kind of speaks to our team as well, that’s kind of our mindset too,” forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “Stu the few years he has been in the League as a young goalie, the maturity that he shows on a day-to-day basis is really impressive and he goes in there with a goal every night and we definitely have the confidence that he’s going to play his best again.”

Skinner is 7-2 with a 1.80 goals-against-average and .928 save percentage since regaining the net in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The 26-year-old was replaced by Calvin Pickard in Game 3 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings after allowing a total of 11 goals in the first two games, each a loss. Pickard won six straight before a lower-body injury sustained in a 5-4 overtime win at Vegas opened the door for Skinner’s return.

“If you look at both of those guys, I think they’re enjoying the ride, and I think honestly a lot of guys are,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday. “We’ve got a good group of guys that like being together and like playing hockey. It’s just ideal, it’s June, not many guys are playing hockey right now and they’re enjoying the moment and Stu is no different.

“They want to be having success, they want to play well and do well like he is. He likes being in the situation that he’s in.”

Skinner made 29 saves for Edmonton in a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 against Florida on Wednesday. He shut the door when the Oilers fell behind 3-1 two minutes into the second period, allowing Edmonton to mount a comeback.

“Being able to keep your team in it, is obviously my goal,” Skinner said. “That’s my job and when you see the results come from that, it obviously feels amazing. For all of us it’s sticking to that process and not really trying to do anything for a certain result, and I think that’s what is really helping us.”

The Oilers lost the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final last season in Florida so are familiar with the Panthers’ situation going into Game 2. Edmonton expects Florida to make a strong push looking for the split.

“With their type of skillset and maturity, they’re a weathered team, so they know that this is a huge game for them, they know how they need to show up to give us a tough time,” Skinner said. “We know that and nothing else to expect for them to come out flying.”

With home-ice advantage this season in the Final rematch the Oilers want to make the most of the opportunity in front of them to take control of the series.

“It’s crucial, every game matters,” Skinner said. “It doesn’t really matter what the series is at, you just have to look at the game that’s ahead of you and we’re really looking forward to tonight. It’s definitely a great opportunity for us to show ourselves and show what we’ve got.”