BLOG: Skinner completes Oilers goaltending puzzle

EDMONTON, AB -There is lots to love about what Edmonton has going on between the pipes.
Coming into the offseason, the Oilers had a few questions about the status of their goaltending after Mikko Koskinen departed for Switzerland and the wear and tear of a long playoff run forced 41-year-old Mike Smith to go on LTIR for the season.
Many of those questions were answered when the team inked veteran starter Jack Campbell in NHL Free Agency. The 30-year-old came in with a solid pedigree from both his junior career (which made him the 11th-overall-selection in the 2010 NHL draft) and his emergence over the last few seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Behind him, was a bit of an unknown. Local product Stuart Skinner had been biding his time in the ECHL and AHL, before a solid 13-game stint with the big club last year. Despite an audition that demonstrated he had the upside, it was still an unkown if Skinner would established himself as a full-time NHL goaltender.
So far, the 24-year-old has shown he can be the missing piece to the Oilers goaltending puzzle.
"They've been great for us in games where we've given up lots of chances," Darnell Nurse said about the two goaltenders. "They've been there to hold down the fort and give us opportunities to stay in games, so they've been playing great. For us, we want to support them on the other side. We have a lot of confidence in our goalies."

Skinner has made the most of his early season opportunities, sporting a sparkling .955 save percentage in his four appearances - three of them starts. His counterpart in Campbell has been victim to a couple defensive lapse filled starts, which the guys in the room have taken full accountability for, but he has made several vital stops in games to give the Oilers four victories in his six starts.
Campbell's timeliness when it comes to making the big save has given the Oilers players a duo they can believe in.
"We have lots of confidence in both of them," Leon Draisaitl said about the tandem. "Obviously, Stuey has been playing great. I think for us as a team, as a group, we can play better for Jack. We haven't really given him a chance to just focus on his game. Every game he's played, it feels like we've been kind off and that doesn't help him."
"We have got two amazing goaltenders that give us a chance to win every night," he added. "It's a luxury to have, for sure."
For Skinner, he says he put in plenty of work with goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz to prepare himself for this moment. The emphasis was put on his skating and RVH training (Reverse Vertical Horizontal - a theory on how goaltenders treat their positioning by the post) in order to make the most efficient use of his big frame on the ice.
Skinner, with a ton of humility, attributes his solid start to the year to the play of those in front of him.

"Well, I think the biggest thing is just our team effort. I think the guys in front of me are doing a heck of a job. I mean, they're always helping me out," Skinner said. "They're always keeping the pucks when there's a scrum in the middle. The guys are always battling hard. I think it's always a team effort. I mean, it's never just one guy, right? So, it's been a lot of fun."
On the team side, he has helped make Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's decision on who to tap on the shoulder on a given night a much more difficult proposition. The Oilers bench boss says he's going to let the rotation play out according to his plan, but with a little wiggle room to ride who he deems to be the hot hand.
"We have an idea of what we want it to look like, but we leave room to be flexible as well," Woodcroft said. "You nailed it, both goaltenders for us are finding ways to help our team win games and that's a great luxury to have as an organization. We're thankful that we have both of them."