All season long and well before it, the Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending situation has been a subject of intense debate. 

For most of the past two seasons, the Oilers ran with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard in net. Despite trade speculation suggesting the Oilers need an upgrade in net, they’ve stuck with their tandem.

But after Monday’s 6-1 debacle at the hands of the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, Edmonton now has a tough decision to make – whether to stick with Skinner after two consecutive subpar performances or have Pickard come in and try to even up the series. Pickard replaced Skinner in the first round and went 6-0 with an .888 save percentage before suffering an injury.

That said, it’s not really a tough decision. The Oilers should be living or dying with Skinner as their guy. While Pickard has his supporters, Skinner has done enough to earn the trust of his team as they try to dig out of a 2-1 series hole.

We’re not for a minute suggesting Skinner should be free of criticism. Giving up the first goal of the game just 56 seconds into the first period is hardly the start the Oilers were looking for from Skinner. Before he got the hook in the third period, Skinner allowed five Panthers goals on just 23 shots. His .783 save percentage in Game 3 is not ideal, nor is his .860 save percentage in the Cup final.

However, Skinner has had moments where he looked terrific this post-season. 

In three of Edmonton’s five games against Dallas in the Western Conference final, Skinner posted a save percentage of .966 or better. He also has three shutouts in these playoffs.

While there were serious doubts about his play early in the playoffs, he has since done enough for the Oilers to win more games than they lose.

Sure, they’d want him to be sharper in the past couple of games, but have you seen how poorly Edmonton has defended in front of him? There aren’t many goalies out there who could steal wins when their teammates are turnstiles, and Skinner isn’t a superhero who can stand on his head on every shot from the deep and strong Panthers. Pickard isn’t, either.

If the Oilers do go on to lose the Cup final, Skinner’s future with the team will be called into question. That’s fair. It doesn’t matter which team or player we’re talking about – if you can’t get the job done in two consecutive Cup finals, your job security will be in doubt.

While the 26-year-old Skinner is under contract next season at a very reasonable $2.6-million cap hit, you have to think Oilers GM Stan Bowman will be seeking out a different look between the pipes. Maybe that’s current Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson or someone else, but the status quo in net probably won’t be an option for Edmonton.

For now, though, Skinner is the best option for the Oilers. He’s battled his way through the muck for a while now, and he can still control his future in Edmonton by coming up with strong performances whenever he’s called upon. But he certainly needs a stronger effort from the players in front of him, which is why Skinner can’t be scapegoated – at least, right now.

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