EDMONTON — Stuart Skinner was born and raised in Edmonton. He was 7 in 2006, the last time the Edmonton Oilers made the Stanley Cup Final. He knows the tales of the championships of 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990.
When the Oilers hosted the Calgary Flames in the 2023 NHL Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 29, his goalie gear paid tribute to Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr. To make sure everyone saw his mask, he didn’t wear a toque.
He had to dream of a moment like this — in net, in Edmonton, for Edmonton, one win from the Cup Final. The Oilers can get there by defeating the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final at home Sunday (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
Does he think about it? Does he try not to?
“Neither,” the 25-year-old said after the Oilers’ 3-1 win in Game 5 at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, sitting on the podium next to forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “Just staying in the moment.”
Nugent-Hopkins nodded in agreement.
“Tomorrow, I get to live my life and go on the plane and beat these guys at Mario Kart,” Skinner said.
Nugent-Hopkins laughed, shook his head and mouthed the word “no.”
“I’ll probably get a couple first places,” Skinner said. “I’m sure of it. And besides that, it’s going to be awesome to go back home and be a dad, and then the next day, it’s time to get back to work.”
Perhaps that’s the best approach. Don’t increase the pressure. Release it. He should relax on the flight, get away from the rink and enjoy time with his wife, Chloe, and their 1-year-old son, Beau.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have presented twists and turns like Mario Kart, but Skinner has a shot at first place.
Skinner was pulled from Game 3 of the second round after allowing four goals on 15 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Trailing the best-of-7 series 2-1, the Oilers started Calvin Pickard in Game 4. After a 3-2 win, they started Pickard again in Game 5. After a 3-2 loss, they went back to Skinner for Game 6.
Since then, Skinner has gone 5-2 with a 1.92 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
