Stuart Skinner has been placed in COVID protocol

Another member of the Oilers has been placed into COVID-19 protocol. This time, it’s goaltender Stuart Skinner.

As Jason Gregor reported on Twitter, this means that Skinner won’t be available for Edmonton’s game on Thursday against the Florida Panthers.

With Mike Smith out with a thumb injury and Skinner in protocol, it seems likely that we’ll see Ilya Konovalov back up Mikko Koskinen when Florida comes to town. Konovalov was among the Oilers who went into protocol back on January 8, but enough time has passed that he should be good to go on Thursday.

If not, Alex Stalock, who cleared through waivers and was assigned to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL over the weekend, would be Edmonton’s other option.

This yet another obstable for the reeling Oilers, who have lost six games in a row out of the Christmas break. The Panthers, on the other hand, are rolling along. They haven’t lost in regulation since mid-December and they’ve scored 50 goals in their last eight games.

Hammer the over on Thursday!