If healthy scratches are dolled out based on offensive performance, Jeff Skinner shouldn’t be the one sitting in the press box for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
If it’s based on defensive performance, well, he probably shouldn’t be sitting, either.
But that’s what the Edmonton Oilers coaching staff has decided ahead of their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Oilers radio man Bob Stauffer posted on social media that Mattias Janmark will slide in to replace him.
Here, for reference, are Skinner’s offensive numbers and how they rank among Oilers forwards at five-on-five since the team returned from their Christmas break on Dec. 28th:
  • 10:07 ice-time per game (12th)
  • 1.74 goals per hour (1st)
  • 2.79 points per hour (2nd)
  • 9.41 shots per hour (2nd)
  • 1.47 individual expected goals per hour (1st)
  • 10.8 scoring chances per hour (3rd)
  • 6.97 high-danger scoring chances per hour (2nd)
Skinner has undoubtedly found his stride in the offensive zone as of late, not only producing offence at a great rate, but doing so in limited ice time. Even looking at his raw numbers, his five five-on-five goals are third to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisatil, who have six and seven, while his eight points are tied for fifth.
It’s not as if you could blame his defensive game over this stretch, either, as with Skinner on the ice, the Oilers have played great at five-on-five.
Here are some key underlying numbers compared to other forwards on the Oilers since the Christmas break:
  • 51.23 shot attempts against per hour (5th)
  • 54.49 percent shot attempt share (7th)
  • 1.74 goals against per hour (3rd)
  • 64.29 percent goal share (2nd)
  • 2.54 expected goals against per hour (10th)
  • 56.2 expected goal share (7th)
So what’s Janmark done to earn the spot over Skinner based on their recent performance? Well, nothing.
Data via Natural Stat Trick
The Oilers are likely looking for a more defensively sound player coming in for the bottom-six to help with a high-powered offensive team in the Lightning, but the recent results show the Oilers are getting more out of Skinner than Janmark. It makes sense on paper, but what each player has done as of late paint a much different picture.
The good news is that Skinner has found his stride at an important time of year, proving that he’s worthy of an extended look with better linemates. Time will tell if that comes to fruition, though I’m not holding my breath for it.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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