The Edmonton Oilers faced a tough wake-up call in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. Right from the start, the Florida Panthers took charge with some aggressive forechecking that got Edmonton playing a bit recklessly—leading to a whopping 85 penalty minutes. In the midst of all the chaos, goalie Stuart Skinner really had a tough time: he got pulled after letting in five early goals on just 23 shots. Calvin Pickard came in and made seven saves during the game.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t lay all the blame on his goalie. He mentioned, “Stu maybe wasn’t on his A-game, but our team wasn’t on their A-game in front of him. I don’t think there’s any bad goals, maybe an extra save. But it doesn’t matter how well Stu played last night, it wouldn’t have made any difference in the game, most likely. I’m not holding anything against Stu on that performance.”

The head coach mentioned that even though Skinner didn’t have his best game, the whole team shares the blame. They didn’t really support him during those intense moments on the ice. He pointed out that no goaltender, no matter how skilled, could have changed the outcome given the situation. But, there was some criticism about Stuart Skinner that came up after the game.

In episode 567 of Spittin’ Chiclets, Paul Bissonnette talked about a segment by analyst Darren Pang. He mentioned how Pang highlighted the way Skinner ties his skates, saying, “Then all of a sudden [Darren] Pang’s piece comes up and and then he shows how Skinner ties his skates. Did you see that? Well, we would probably take Skinner’s skate off of his foot if you wanted to when it’s tied for the game.” Even though the comment was made partly in fun, it really got the podcast members chatting about whether that kind of detail could actually affect a goalie’s performance.

Liam McHugh was quick to dismiss the theory, saying, “Well, that’s are we’re going with that, like now, like he’s been on but like he’s tied his skates the same way. He’s been to two straight cup finals. Like, I don’t think how he ties his skates is like why he played bad last night.” He pointed out that Skinner had tied his skates the same way during two consecutive deep playoff runs, and he thought it was a bit out there to blame any poor performance on how he laced them up.

Bissonnette, though, maintained that loose skates could really affect a goaltender’s ability to push off properly, and he even brought in Henrik Lundqvist’s thoughts to back up his argument. So, Kevin Bieksa jumped in to steer the chat a bit by bringing up Drew Doughty, who’s a top-notch defenseman with his own quirky skate habits. He pointed out that you can still perform at a high level even if you have some unconventional ways of doing things. The playful banter took a turn when Bieksa teased Bissonnette, saying, “Yeah, you are,” in response to Bissonnette’s denial of blaming Skinner.

Even though there’s no solid proof that Skinner’s laces played a role in his troubles during Game 3, the way people talked about it just added to the focus on his shaky performance. In the Stanley Cup Final, every little detail gets blown up, making it even more intense. So, what has the Oilers head coach decide for a crucial Game 4?

Looking at a broader picture than just focusing on Stuart Skinner

“Oh definitely the third period is an unraveling. I don’t think we would have acted or played like that had the game been a one-goal or two-goal game. I don’t know, boys being boys I guess, just trying to make investments for the next game,” Kris Knoblauch said after Game 3. So, it looks like there are definitely going to be some changes in Game 4.

Recently, senior columnist Mark Spector confirmed that “Knobauch says there WILL be a lineup change for Game 4. Likely Stecher in, Klingberg out.” This could really turn things around for the Oilers who have been having a tough time. Troy Stecher’s speed and smooth puck movement, especially when he’s teamed up with Darnell Nurse, could really help in dealing with Florida’s forecheck.

In previous games, the Nurse–Stecher pair really demonstrated some great progress in puck control and defense. Looks like John Klingberg had a rough time in Game 3 with a minus-3 rating and being on the ice for a few high-danger goals, so it seems he’ll be sitting out as a healthy scratch. This blue-line swap really highlights how Knoblauch is making adjustments in his squad, which hopes to bring that Stanley Cup to Canada. Bringing Stecher in could really help with those defensive zone exits and make it easier to deal with the Panthers’ pressure.