It's been months since the Edmonton Oilers had another heartbreaking experience in the Stanley Cup Final, for the second year in a row and against the same team. The pain of the loss to the Florida Panthers, who defeated Edmonton in six games in the Finals rematch, still stings for Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner, but he's also learned how to deal with it during the NHL offseason.
“I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” Skinner said before taking part in the Rogers Legends of Hockey last Saturday, per Derek Van Diest of NHL.com.
“So going through it a second time, which is obviously devastating, but being able to say you went through this does actually help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.”
Behind the prowess of their offense that was led by the incredible tandem of Hart Trophy winners Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers again reached the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, where they faced off with the defending champion Panthers.
A year before, the Oilers forced a Game 7 on the same NHL stage despite losing all of the first three games of the series against the Panthers. However, Edmonton fell short in that pivotal contest, resulting in Florida raising the Stanley Cup in 2024.
The Oilers got the chance to avenge that series loss in June, but the Panthers once again proved to be too much to handle for Edmonton, who didn't exactly benefit from great goaltending. In the 2025 Finals, Skinner allowed 19 goals on 137 shots faced across five appearances in front of the net.
Overall in the 2024-25 NHL season, Skinner managed a 26-18-4 record with three shutouts, a 2.81 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.
The Oilers will continue to be a team that will go as far as McDavid and Draisaitl take them. But the defense is improved, and if the squad can get better play between the pipes, that could get Edmonton over the infuriating hump that has prevented the franchise from completing their mission to bring home the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990.
