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Looking back at Stuart Skinner’s five best playoff games with the Oilers
Edmonton Oilers Stuart Skinner
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Dec 14, 2025, 18:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 14, 2025, 15:05 EST
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Stuart Skinner being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins was a shock to the system when the news broke early Friday morning.
The move came on the heels of a win over the Detroit Red Wings, a game in which Skinner posted a stellar .964 save percentage, and he had been playing solid between the pipes for the Edmonton Oilers over his last few games. But trades like this are a blunt reminder that the NHL, at its core, is a business.
Love him or hate him, Skinner leaves behind plenty of unforgettable moments in an Oilers uniform. Overall, it was a good run for a hometown kid forced into the spotlight of a hockey-mad market like Edmonton. The ride had its highs and lows, but no one can take away the fact that he helped lead the team he grew up cheering for to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances.
With that in mind, those deep playoff runs don’t happen without some big-time performances in net. So now, we say thank you to “Stu” for the memories and look back at Skinner’s five best playoff games as an Oiler below.

Skinner Records First Career Playoff Shutout in Game 4 vs. L.A. in 2024

The music industry has “Mr. Worldwide” in Pitbull, the movie world has Mr. T, and the old WWF days had Mr. Perfect. With the way Skinner elevated his performances in Game 4s for Edmonton, he earned the nickname in Oil Country, “Mr. Game 4,” a name that began with his first career playoff shutout against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
With the Oilers holding a 2–1 series lead, Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena became a goaltending duel, with Skinner and former Kings netminder David Rittich refusing to give up an inch.
The game remained scoreless until Evan Bouchard hammered home a power-play goal in the second period, after which Skinner shut the door on the Kings.
L.A. poured on the pressure with a flurry of chances and plenty of traffic in front, and on a night when Edmonton managed just 13 shots, Skinner stopped 33 — including nine high-danger looks — to earn his first career NHL playoff shutout in a huge Game 4 win.

Skinner Was Spectacular in Game 6 vs. the Dallas Stars in the 2024 Western Conference Final

One of Skinner’s most memorable playoff games as an Oiler came in Game 6 of the 2024 Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars.
The Oilers were leading the series 3–2 as Game 6 returned to Rogers Place. Connor McDavid scored a jaw-dropping early power-play goal, and Zach Hyman added another man-advantage tally late in the first period. That said, despite the early lead, Dallas came on strong the rest of the game, with the Oilers managing only ten shots on net compared to the Stars’ 34.
Dallas made things interesting when Mason Marchment scored halfway through the third period. But the Oilers’ netminder was spectacular for the remainder of the game, and with two minutes left and the net pulled, Dallas pressed hard. Yet Skinner stood tall, much to the delight of the fans at Rogers Place, who showed their support with chants of “Stuuu!!”
The Oilers barely held on to the lead, with Skinner the shining star, especially in the third period when he faced 13 shots, en route to a 2–1 win that sent Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Final.
When I think about Skinner’s signature game in an Oilers uniform, this is the one that comes to mind. At the time, it felt like there was no way the Oilers could hold onto a 2–1 lead with the way the Stars ramped up the intensity, but Skinner weathered the storm and gutted out the huge win for his team.

Skinner Battles Scrutiny, Records Second Career Playoff Shutout vs. Vegas in Game 4 in 2025

Skinner had a rough start to the 2025 playoffs, losing both Game 1 and Game 2 of the first round to the Los Angeles Kings after allowing six goals in each contest, with the Kings taking both wins.
That said, the Oilers turned to netminder Calvin Pickard for the remainder of the series vs. the Kings, winning four straight games to take the series 4–2 and advance to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Edmonton won the first two games against Vegas, but when Pickard sustained an injury in overtime of Game 2, the Oilers had to turn back to Skinner for Game 3. That said, Edmonton lost 4–3, with Skinner giving up the game-winning goal with just 0.4 seconds remaining.
Skinner headed into Game 4 under heavy scrutiny, but he was dialled in all night. The Oilers got contributions from Adam Henrique, who scored twice, and Evander Kane, who added one, while Skinner stood tall in net, making big stops in the third period, including an in-tight save on the dangerous Pavel Dorofeyev.
He finished with 23 saves, five of them high-danger, while earning his second career playoff shutout and first win since Game 82 of the regular season. With his back against the wall in a scenario where many wished Pickard hadn’t been injured, Skinner came through in the clutch, delivering a stellar Game 4 performance and giving the Oilers a 3–1 series lead and a chance to eliminate Vegas in Game 5.

Skinner Records Third Playoff Shutout in Game 5 vs. Vegas, Sending Oilers to 2025 Western Conference Final

With the Oilers taking Game 4 by a 3–0 score in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, Vegas was on the brink of elimination, but they weren’t going down without a fight. Game 5 turned into a goaltender’s duel.
The Oilers held a 3–1 series lead against the Golden Knights and had a chance to close out the series in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena, but it quickly turned into a Skinner vs. Adin Hill showdown.
Neither team could get one past the opposition’s netminder, despite several quality scoring chances. Skinner turned aside 24 shots, eight of them high-danger chances according to Natural Stat Trick. Vegas’ expected goals were at 2.06, but Skinner made two key stops in overtime before Kasperi Kapanen ended it in the extra session, sending the Oilers to the Western Conference Final, and the Oilers’ netminder earned the shutout.
After the game, Sportsnet’s Gene Principe asked the Oilers’ netminder how he felt that night after posting his second consecutive shutout, and Skinner responded, “I had a feeling of peace tonight.”

Skinner Records Fourth Playoff Shutout in Game 2 vs. Dallas Stars in 2025 Western Conference Final

The Oilers were up 3–1 in Game 1 against the Stars in the 2025 Western Conference Final, but they suffered a major collapse. They gave up five third-period goals, including an empty-netter, as the Stars took Game 1 by a score of 6–3 and had a ton of momentum heading into Game 2.
Yet, Skinner, true to his usual form, bounced back in a big way in Game 2.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the Oilers on the board early in the first period, and former Oilers Brett Kulak and Connor Brown each added a goal in the second, before Skinner shut the door for the remainder of the game.
The Oilers’ netminder stopped Wyatt Johnston on a breakaway early in the third period, and later, when the puck bounced off the back wall, Skinner made a spectacular side-to-side stick save, robbing Esa Lindell.
On the night, Skinner finished with 25 saves, including nine in the third period, en route to a 3–0 win and a shutout in a strong bounce-back performance in Game 2.
Overall, over the last few seasons, there were ups and downs in the Oilers’ deep playoff runs, but when push came to shove, Skinner always seemed to bounce back and deliver stellar performances. With that, we wish ‘Stu’ the best of luck in Pittsburgh!

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