If there was anyone who deserved a great game, it was Stuart Skinner. The goalie has been slammed and mocked by many during this year’s playoffs, but with a shutout in Game 5, he led the Edmonton Oilers to the Western Conference Final. And postgame, team captain Connor McDavid sent a strong message to everyone who had doubted Skinner.

Stuart Skinner has had a rollercoaster of a playoffs. Many have questioned whether he’s really good enough to carry the Oilers to a Stanley Cup, and early on, he didn’t do much to prove them wrong. At one point, Skinner was 0–3 with a terrible GAA and save percentage—but now, things have changed.

Skinner was benched in favor of Calvin Pickard halfway through the first round, but after Pickard went down with an injury, Skinner was back in net—and eventually, it paid off for the Oilers.

He shut out the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4’s 3–0 win, then followed it up with another shutout in Game 5, sending Edmonton to the Western Conference Final for the second straight year, and third time in four seasons.

Skinner’s shutout allowed the Oilers to win Game 5, 1–0, seven minutes into overtime. He now carries a 127-minute shutout streak into the conference final against the winner of the Winnipeg Jets–Dallas Stars series. Skinner has stopped the last 48 shots he’s faced, and after the game, McDavid didn’t hold back, sending a strong message to everyone who’s doubted Skinner.
“Hopefully it shuts a lot of people up who were talking about him,” McDavid told NHL insider Ryan Rishaug.