The Edmonton Oilers advanced to the West Final on Wednesday night. Kasperi Kapanen scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights. As a result, the Golden Knights head home while Edmonton moves on. Other than Kapanen, the Edmonton organization and its fans can also thank goalie Stuart Skinner for this result.

Skinner stepped in for Calvin Pickard in Game 3 of this series. The Oilers goalie had some troubles in that third game, which Edmonton lost. After that, though, he has been lights out. Skinner posted back-to-back shutouts in Games 4 and 5 to help the team advance. This is only the third time this has happened in Oilers history, according to Sportsnets Stats.

“Oilers record back-to-back postseason shutouts for the 3rd time in franchise history. Most recently: 2017 Round 1, Games 2-3 vs Sharks,” Sportsnet Stats wrote on social media on Wednesday night.

Oilers' Stuart Skinner dominates in clutch games

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 been notoriously inconsistent throughout his career. At times, it appears as if he is one of the better goalies in the NHL. In other moments, it seems as if the Edmonton puck-stopper is out of his depth at this level. However, when the lights are at their brightest, Skinner lives up to the moment.

Skinner has played six games in which Edmonton has faced elimination. He owns a 5-1 record in these games, according to Sportsnet Stats. He has a Goals Against Average of 1.97 and a save percentage of .926 in these situations. His only loss was in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season. He made 19 saves on 21 shots in the losing effort.

There is a lot that can be said about the 26-year-old Oilers goalie. Criticisms around him certainly have merit given his performances in the regular season. However, he comes up huge in the clutch. And if he can keep it up, the Oilers may finally bring home Lord Stanley's Cup.