The Edmonton Oilers faced the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night. Edmonton scored the first goal and ended up taking a 3-1 lead into the third period. However, disaster struck in the final frame. Goalie Stuart Skinner allowed four goals in the third period to condemn the Oilers to a 6-3 loss in Game 1 at the American Airlines Center.

The Oilers now trail the Western Conference Finals 1-0. It's a brutal outcome after they played well for most of the game. And hockey fans did not let this team get away with such a performance. Edmonton, especially Skinner, was mocked on social media for their collapse in the third period against the Dallas Stars.

“as a canucks fan, i don’t really want to root for any playoff team BUT my hatred of the oilers is strong. so, thank you dallas stars for absolutely embarrassing edmonton tonight <3” one fan wrote on social media on Wednesday night.

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Oilers' Stuart Skinner has struggled with consistency

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) defends the goal in the third period of game one of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers at Crypto.com Arena.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Skinner has long been a frustrating figure for many Oilers fans. On some nights, he appears to be one of the best in the world. On other nights, the Edmonton puck-stopper fails to live up to the job description. Fans saw both sides of the 24-year-old on Wednesday night.

While Skinner has struggled with general consistency, there is a part of his game where he is consistent: closeout games. When playing games in which one team is at risk of elimination, the Oilers netminder usually rises to the occasion. This could certainly give fans hope for better performances as the series goes along.

However, it's hard to ignore what a missed opportunity Game 1 was for the Oilers. It's the sort of performance that could cost them massively in the long run. Edmonton has a chance to snatch momentum back from the Stars on Friday night in Game 2 in Dallas.