Skinner’s Miscue Costs Oilers in Shootout Loss to Flames
The Edmonton Oilers were heading into the 2025-26 with a sense of calm. That might surprise some, considering the team was coming off two consecutive Finals losses. Still, the team approached a new season relaxed.
Perhaps they were too relaxed, at least after getting out to a 3-0 lead.
As expected, the narrative is one game at a time. Having said that, the Oilers are often guilty of not playing a full 60 minutes, and they were guilty of it again on Wednesday as their three-goal lead turned into a 3-3 tie, then a loss in a shootout.
Oilers’ Roster Battle Moves to the Regular Season
The Stanley Cup isn’t won in October. Still, a hot start is also being talked about a lot inside the dressing room, and that should have started with a victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 1 of the regular season.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner took responsibility for the score being what it was. “I just had to make a quicker decision,” he said when trying to explain the gaffe on the third goal for Calgary that tied the game. “The game happens fast down there, and there was just kind of a miscommunication and I was slow to react…
Head coach Kris Knoblauch wasn’t ready to blame Skinner alone. “Turnovers,” he said when asked what happened. “As soon as we made it 3-0, we got really sloppy with the puck. Before that, I thought we were outstanding with it. That was the turning point right there.”
The Game Action
Ike Howard and David Tomasek took their “rookie” laps, seeing as it was the first game in the NHL for both players.
The first period started a bit slowly, with both sides feeling each other out. It wasn’t until a delay of game penalty on Morgan Frost that things got interesting. The Oilers made quick work of the power play as Connor McDavid passed down low to Leon Draisaitl, who hit Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in front for the goal.
Tomasek took a minor for tripping at 11:04. The Oilers killed it off, with McDavid and Draisaitl getting some time on the second penalty-killing unit.
On the…
