Ever since the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Stuart Skinner in the Tristan Jarry trade in December, head coach Dan Muse has opted to go with a goalie rotation between him and Arturs Silovs.
Muse was doing the same thing with Silovs and Jarry at the beginning of the season, until Jarry started stealing some starts due to his strong play.
Now that Skinner is playing really well over the last few weeks, I think it's time for Muse to start giving him two out of every three starts and move away from the rotation a bit. This isn't a knock on Silovs, who has been playing better as of late (outside of shootouts). It's way more about Skinner, who has really found his form.
Skinner's hot stretch began on Dec. 30 against the Carolina Hurricanes, a game the Penguins won 5-1. Skinner finished that game with 27 saves on 28 shots and a .964 save percentage. It was one of the Penguins' best efforts of the season, but there were still instances when Skinner had to come up with some big saves.
He only allowed two goals over his next two starts against the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils on Jan. 3 and Jan. 8. Every Penguin player owed him a gourmet steak dinner for the way he played in the first period against the Devils. The Penguins were lethargic in their own zone, but Skinner was there to save them, making some big saves to preserve a 1-0 lead going into the second period. The Penguins eventually found their footing in the final 40 minutes and won 4-1.
Skinner has won five of his last starts and has a .923 save percentage for the month of January, which is good for his best month of the 2025-26 season to date.
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In the Penguins' 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday, he was especially sharp in the first period, making a big save on a breakaway from Eeli Tolvanen less than three minutes into the game. He finished the game with an .870 save percentage, but don't let that fool you. He was good when he needed to be.
Even in the Penguins' 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 11, he gave his team every opportunity to tie the game. The only goal he gave up went off the post, his skate, and into the net.
He has such a calming presence around him and continues to look really poised in the crease. His teammates are feeding off his confidence each time he plays.
All of this can certainly change, since Skinner has been an inconsistent goaltender throughout his career, but right now, he's giving the Penguins the best chance to win and should see a slight increase in his workload.
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