Some good news might be on the horizon for the injury-plagued Edmonton Oilers as they approach the playoffs.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner skated on Monday morning in full gear back in Edmonton and is reportedly &#8220;feeling good&#8221; after taking shots from Mattias Ekholm and Evander Kane. There&#8217;s a possibility that he could play for the Oilers later this week.

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Hearing Stuart Skinner skated in full gear this morning and took shots from Ekholm and Kane. Feeling good. Close to returning. Could see him play later this week at home. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oilers</a>
&mdash; Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonGregor/status/1909275451832332461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Skinner hasn&#8217;t played since exiting in the third period of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/fire-bellies-edmonton-oilers-dallas-stars">Edmonton&#8217;s 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars</a> on March 26th on concussion protocol after taking a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/well-talk-about-that-internally-edmonton-oilers-corey-perry-addresses-hit-on-stuart-skinner">hit to the head from Mikko Rantanen,</a> the second such hit he took in three games. He <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/stuart-skinner-injured-oilers-will-recall-goalie">did not travel with the team</a> for their subsequent game in Seattle against the Kraken.
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Stuart Skinner goes down and exits the game after Rantanen makes contact with him in the head. 
📹: Sportsnet <a href="https://t.co/nFOfHTOS2I">pic.twitter.com/nFOfHTOS2I</a>
&mdash; Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1905116003031273879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Back-up Calvin Pickard entered the game in Skinner&#8217;s place, while top goaltending prospect <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-recall-top-goalie-prospect-olivier-rodrigue">Olivier Rodrigue was recalled</a> from the AHL&#8217;s Bakersfield Condors the following day. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut that night in relief of Pickard, in the team&#8217;s <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-lose-to-kraken-drop-both-games-back-to-back">disastrous 6-1 loss to the Kraken</a>, with seven saves on eight shots faced. Despite the bad night in Seattle, Pickard improved over the following four games, with a 3-1-0 record, 2.00 GAA, and a .925 SV%.
Not dissimilar to last year, Skinner has had something of an uneven season in Edmonton this year. He currently has a 24-18-4 record, 2.91 GAA, and a .894 SV %, just slightly below last year&#8217;s 36-16-5 record, with a 2.62 GAA and .905 SV%. While this difference in stats may seem significant, it&#8217;s also a testament to the hot and cold nature of Skinner&#8217;s game. Last year, the Oilers got off to a bad start, but later locked in as Skinner set a franchise record for the longest winning streak by a goaltender with 12 in a row, as the team as a whole neared the league-record winning streak of 17 set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 92-93, with their own 16-game heater.
Skinner started strong, though inconsistent, in the playoffs last year, when Edmonton defeated the LA Kings in five games. But after a rocky start to their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, Skinner was pulled in the third game, and Pickard started the following two contests. That seemed to serve as a wake-up call for him, as he put together mostly strong performances from there on out, en route to Edmonton&#8217;s defeat in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, still with a few hiccups along the way.
Regardless, with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid currently highlighting a long list of injured Oilers, Edmonton will take whoever they can get back on their roster before attempting their way to the finals once again. That includes their number one goalie, for better or for worse, and they&#8217;re surely hoping he&#8217;s healthy and that he can put his game together when it matters most.

Some good news might be on the horizon for the injury-plagued Edmonton Oilers as they approach the playoffs.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner skated on Monday morning in full gear back in Edmonton and is reportedly "feeling good" after taking shots from Mattias Ekholm and Evander Kane. There's a possibility that he could play for the Oilers later this week.



https://twitter.com/JasonGregor/status/1909275451832332461

Skinner hasn't played since exiting in the third period of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/fire-bellies-edmonton-oilers-dallas-stars">Edmonton's 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars</a> on March 26th on concussion protocol after taking a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/well-talk-about-that-internally-edmonton-oilers-corey-perry-addresses-hit-on-stuart-skinner">hit to the head from Mikko Rantanen,</a> the second such hit he took in three games. He <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/stuart-skinner-injured-oilers-will-recall-goalie">did not travel with the team</a> for their subsequent game in Seattle against the Kraken.

https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1905116003031273879

Back-up Calvin Pickard entered the game in Skinner's place, while top goaltending prospect <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-recall-top-goalie-prospect-olivier-rodrigue">Olivier Rodrigue was recalled</a> from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors the following day. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut that night in relief of Pickard, in the team's <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-lose-to-kraken-drop-both-games-back-to-back">disastrous 6-1 loss to the Kraken</a>, with seven saves on eight shots faced. Despite the bad night in Seattle, Pickard improved over the following four games, with a 3-1-0 record, 2.00 GAA, and a .925 SV%.

Not dissimilar to last year, Skinner has had something of an uneven season in Edmonton this year. He currently has a 24-18-4 record, 2.91 GAA, and a .894 SV %, just slightly below last year's 36-16-5 record, with a 2.62 GAA and .905 SV%. While this difference in stats may seem significant, it's also a testament to the hot and cold nature of Skinner's game. Last year, the Oilers got off to a bad start, but later locked in as Skinner set a franchise record for the longest winning streak by a goaltender with 12 in a row, as the team as a whole neared the league-record winning streak of 17 set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 92-93, with their own 16-game heater.

Skinner started strong, though inconsistent, in the playoffs last year, when Edmonton defeated the LA Kings in five games. But after a rocky start to their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, Skinner was pulled in the third game, and Pickard started the following two contests. That seemed to serve as a wake-up call for him, as he put together mostly strong performances from there on out, en route to Edmonton's defeat in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, still with a few hiccups along the way.

Regardless, with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid currently highlighting a long list of injured Oilers, Edmonton will take whoever they can get back on their roster before attempting their way to the finals once again. That includes their number one goalie, for better or for worse, and they're surely hoping he's healthy and that he can put his game together when it matters most.

Oilers’ Stuart Skinner returns to practice, could play for the Oilers this week

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