Winning streak lands Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner second star of the month honours

Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner was named the second star of the month for January after an electric run saw him go 9-0 in the crease.

He won each appearance he was in over the course of the month, with a .953 save percentage and 1.33 goals against average helping the Oilers stretch their record-setting win streak to 16 games.

For Skinner, his undefeated month was the ninth time in NHL history that a goaltender won at least nine games in a single month without recording a tie or loss of any kind. The most recent goaltender to do it before him? Mike Smith, who went 9-0 in April 2022 with the Oilers.

In each of Skinner’s starts, he allowed two goals or less and has seen his numbers fly up the rankings. Before the Oilers coaching change in November, Skinner posted a 2-5-1 record with a .861 save percentage and since? A 21-4 record and a .925 save percentage.

Here’s a look at Skinner’s January numbers against all goaltenders who played six or more games.

Skinner’s numbers shine in comparison to others around the league. His 12 goals against in January were the fewest, while his .953 save percentage was the highest, a solid clip above the second-ranked Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen (.944) and Connor Hellebuyck (.940). Skinner’s 11.9 goals saved above average were first, well above Joey Daccord’s 9.3, while his 15.7 goals saved above expected paced all netminders. The next closest were Jordan Binnington, with 14.1 goals saved above average, and Jacob Markstrom, with 10.9.

Named first star of the month for January was Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who scored 12 goals and 26 points in 12 games played. He was also named first star of the month for December, becoming the second player in as many years to do so in consecutive months. That followed in the footsteps of Connor McDavid, who was named first star of the month in February and March 2023.

The third star of the month belonged to Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, who put up 14 goals and 21 points in 13 games.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.