Stuart Skinner withstood every challenge that came his way, from the early tests to the frantic final minute. His stellar goaltending helped the Edmonton Oilers secure a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Skinner made 24 saves, while Leon Draisaitl netted his 30th goal of the season off Connor McDavid’s league-leading 73rd assist. Brett Kulak added the game-winner early in the third period.
“I definitely felt good. Felt good right off the bat,” Skinner said. “I got into the game pretty quickly. I think their first two chances were pretty good ones, and when you stop both of them, you tend to feel a little bit better about the night.”
Skinner’s performance was crucial in keeping Edmonton close to Vegas for second place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers swept all four games against Seattle this season. Edmonton has won six consecutive games against the Kraken and holds a 9-2-0 record against them since Seattle joined the NHL.
Draisaitl scored midway through the second period, and Kulak’s shot from near the blue line, which appeared to take a slight deflection, provided the decisive goal at 8:02 of the third.
“It always feels good contributing that way. It doesn’t always happen, but when you see one go in, it feels good,” Kulak said. “It was a tight game. It was close. There weren’t too many goals happening, and it proved to be a big one.”
Kulak’s goal came shortly after another crucial save from Skinner, who has consistently been a problem for the Kraken. Skinner has won seven of his nine career starts against Seattle, including all four games this season.
Early in the first period, Justin Schultz’s shot hit the post but stayed out, while Skinner made key saves on Jordan Eberle early, Tomas Tatar late in the second period, and Seattle’s leading goal-scorer Jared McCann early in the third.
Eeli Tolvanen ended Skinner’s shutout bid with a power-play goal with 6:37 remaining, scoring his 15th of the season by deflecting a puck past the Edmonton goalie. Seattle had one last opportunity with a 6-on-4 advantage after Draisaitl was penalized with 53 seconds left, but Skinner made several crucial saves, including another on Eberle, to secure the win.
“I got a little bit fortunate with getting a little bit of time to get back to my feet and then being able to get across on Eberle, I think that was a really big moment for myself,” Skinner said.
Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves for Seattle, coming off his first shutout of the season two days earlier against Pittsburgh.
Despite a solid performance, the regulation loss may prove costly for the Kraken’s playoff hopes in the Western Conference wild-card race, potentially prompting moves ahead of the trade deadline.
“It’s obviously frustrating when you only score one goal,” Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz said. “Need results this time of the year. Obviously, could have gone either way.”
UP NEXT
- Oilers: Host Pittsburgh on Sunday.
- Kraken: At Calgary on Monday.
