Shutout Stu! Now, that’s a phrase the Edmonton Oilers haven’t heard in a long time, especially since the playoffs started. While the NHL goalie’s form was nothing to write home about, especially toward the tail end of the season, his 2025 playoff debut was a disaster. In fact, Stuart Skinner’s goaltending troubles took the Oilers to the brink before Calvin Pickard replaced him on the net, and Edmonton went on a tear.

Pickard won all of his 6 games as the Oilers mounted comeback after comeback, knocking out the Kings (again) and taking the lead in Series 2. Then came the undisclosed injury, and Skinner found himself in front of the net. The result? Another disaster, with Skinner and Leon Draisaitl fumbling the puck to give Vegas the win with 0.4 seconds on the clock. Yet the goaltender remained undaunted. While Oilers fans breathed fire, the 26-year-old said: “Good bounces, tough bounces, happens for everybody, so just move forward.”

Although the fans didn’t want Stuart Skinner in front of the net in Game 4, the Oilers confirmed that Pickard would need more time. So, despite the fan base’s chagrin, Skinner took his position in front of the game. What followed was the Oilers’ netminder reminding the fans why he’s earned the nickname: Mr. Game 4. It was a flawless performance with 23 saves and a shutout win.

“Not sure the Oilers can play a better all-around game than that. For Stu Skinner, the first decent game his team played in front of him this spring, and he rewards them with 24 saves in a 3-0 win. That game beats pretty much anyone, I’d wager,” said NHL analyst and Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector. As impressive as Skinner was, Spector also highlighted the rest of the Oilers.

Besides Stuart making some ridiculous saves to keep the clean sheet, Edmonton’s defense did a stellar job at keeping the Golden Knights at bay. Vegas only managed to take 10 shots on goal halfway through the game while trailing 3-0 on the scoreboard. Vegas goalie Adin Hill was a busy man on the opposite end, saving 29 of the 32 shots on goal. Shutout Stu continued to win off the ice as well.

Stuart Skinner also shut out the negativity

It wasn’t just the Golden Knights who couldn’t find a way past the NHL star. The Edmonton Oilers goaltender didn’t let the negativity get to his head. The Canadian hockey star wasn’t kidding when he sounded optimistic after the devastating loss. “I had a lot of excitement. First game in a while, first game at home in the playoff. So the energy was really high. So yeah, it was nice to go back in there, not the result that we wanted obviously,” he said.

While the fans fumed, Stuart Skinner preserved his confidence for Game 4. Yet, the reporters didn’t know that, so after the stellar performance, they asked if the negative buzz in the media and among fans affected the goaltender coming into Game 4. Skinner’s answer was as cool as they come. “What noise?” the NHL star told the reporters in the post-game interview.

“I have no idea. No clue what’s going on,” the 26-year-old added after his team’s dominant win over Vegas. Sportsnet pulled up another stat that showed just how impressive Skinner has been in Game 4s in the playoffs. In fact, Skinner now holds the lowest career GAA in Game 4 (all-time) with just 1.31. “That’s an incredible stat,” said one of the Sportsnet analysts.

With that being said, Skinner’s larger picture doesn’t inspire confidence. While this was a statement win from the Oilers’ goaltender, it was also his first win in four playoff appearances. With Calvin Picard still being considered day-to-day, there is a good chance he may not show up for the rest of the series. So, the Edmonton Oilers will need Skinner at the top of his game, not just for Game 4s but all of them.