Stuart Skinner Opens Up About Mental Troubles When Struggling in Net

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Liam McCormick
November 16, 2024 (11:04)

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Stuart Skinner is off to an inconsistent start through his first 11 games this season, and he recently opened up about the mental toll his on-ice struggles take on him.

In an interview with Mark Spector, Skinner said that he still finds himself being affected by outside criticism, but is getting better at tuning it out to focus on his game.

»When your stats are bad, sometimes you�do�look for outside approval. And then you realize: you don't see it. I'm trying to grow out of that It's easy to look at that stuff, but I'm doing my best not to.»
- Stuart Skinner

It's tough to hear that the weight of the poor start is weighing on Skinner, and that he's hearing the criticism from most fans, but the Oilers goalie is taking it in the best way possible. It doesn't sound like he's dwelling on it too hard, like Jack Campbell did.

Skinner knows that he and the Oilers as a whole need to be better, and he's putting in extra work to get there. Since he was taken out of the crease last playoffs against Vancouver, Skinner feels like he's proven he's better now.

»We all know what happened in the Vancouver series for me, and that only made me better and stronger. I don't see how I'm not a better goalie right now.»
- Stuart Skinner

The reality is, with an .881 save percentage, Skinner is still posting less than desirable results. He needs to work specifically on his side to side movement, which currently ranks last in the NHL and is a major weakness for the Oilers netminder. If he can iron out those problems in his game, the rest of his work will suddenly look a lot better.

The Edmonton Oilers are a good enough all around that they can be a dominant hockey team with just average goaltending - and that's what Skinner needs to aim for. He doesn't need to be a world beater, just make the routine saves, and the result of the game will be on the entire team. Right now Skinner's save percentage being 20 points below league average is clearly hurting the Oilers, and hopefully, it turns around soon.