EDMONTON 鈥� Watching his baby boy learn to crawl has given Stuart Skinner some perspective heading into a season where he and fellow Edmonton Oilers goalie Jack Campbell will be under the microscope.聽
Skinner鈥檚 son, Beau, was born in January, and the netminder said watching him grow and adapt "actually taught me a lot this summer" as the Oilers opened training camp Wednesday at Rogers Place.聽
"Just as I was going through my summer regimen of trying to get better, growing my game, Beau was trying to figure out how to crawl," Skinner said. "I wasn鈥檛 trying to tell him how to do it. I wasn鈥檛 telling him 鈥榊ou鈥檙e doing that wrong,鈥� or 鈥榊ou鈥檙e doing this right.鈥� I was just kind of letting him adapt to crawling.聽
"That might sound a little silly, but it鈥檚 kind of the same with the game. You just keep on going, you keep on going forward, you keep on trying to crawl, you keep on trying to stand."聽
Skinner took over the No. 1 job last season, after Campbell鈥檚 early-season struggles. Campbell was in the first year of a five-year, US$25 million deal, and was expected to stabilize the Oilers' netminding position. But it was Skinner who shone during the season, posting a 29-14-5 record with a .914 save percentage and becoming a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. 聽
Campbell finished with an .888 save percentage, about 30 points below his career average聽
Things changed in the playoffs. The Oilers exited in the second round, and a lot of fingers were pointed at Skinner, who had just an .883 save percentage in the post-season and was pulled four times.聽
"I needed to be better," Skinner said after the Oilers were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights. "I got pulled countless times."聽
In those four relief appearances, Campbell was outstanding, posting a .961 save percentage, but it wasn鈥檛 enough to dig his team out of trouble.聽
"It was nice to get a taste of it, but it鈥檚 a pretty small sample," Campbell said of his improved play in the playoffs. "I鈥檓 ready to turn it into something bigger this year." 聽
Entering this season, goaltending is the biggest question mark for the Oilers. If they stay healthy, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could generate 300 points between them. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is coming off a 104-point campaign. The Oilers鈥� power-play is the best the game has seen in a generation.聽
It鈥檚 not like the goalies are being asked to shut out the opposition. Hold the other teams to around three a game, and the Oilers should have enough firepower to win most nights.聽
Oilers鈥� president of hockey operations and general manager Ken Holland said that it鈥檚 not going to be about Skinner vs. Campbell for the Oilers net. They will both be needed as the season goes on. It鈥檚 a tandem, not a competition.聽
"Coming into training camp, based on the way he finished, he鈥檚 (Skinner) probably got the leg up," said Holland about the team鈥檚 No. 1 netminding job. "The reality 鈥� no matter who is in net opening night 鈥� is we鈥檙e going to need both guys over 82 games. I would think, at the end of the year, one guy plays 50 and one guy plays 30. Or 45 and 35. We鈥檒l play that as we go. 聽We鈥檙e going to need both guys, it鈥檚 really a two-goalie league.聽
"Who plays opening night, or the first two, for me, it doesn鈥檛 matter. From a fan鈥檚 perspective, they read into it 鈥� who鈥檚 the Opening Day pitcher, who鈥檚 the opening day goalie? But things change so much over six months and 82 games. You factor in injuries. I鈥檓 confident we鈥檙e going to have a good one-two punch."聽
Skinner spent part of the off-season working out with fellow Edmontonian Carter Hart and Tristan Jarry, who played major junior hockey in Edmonton. Campbell went back to Michigan and worked with former Red Wings goalie Manny Legace.聽
The two have been on the ice together for the previous two weeks, part of McDavid鈥檚 "captain鈥檚 skates" which had the Oilers core unofficially work out together.聽
"I've been skating with Jack the last two weeks, he looks great," said Skinner. "We have a good competition with each other every single day on the ice. Off the ice, we have our morning coffees and we chat about some stuff. It鈥檚 been good. Him and I have a good, tight relationship.聽
Campbell said he鈥檚 had to learn not be so hard on himself in goal, to not let every mistake get to him.聽
"I've been working hard on some things, and not beating myself up so much," he said.聽
That had always been the rub on him 鈥� that he cared so much, it was hard for him to do what goalies need to do when they give up a goal, and that鈥檚 forget about what just happened.聽
"I just learned so much last year,鈥� he said. "My standard for myself is so much higher than that. Not to dwell on it, but so much good came from having such a tough year, as far as my growth this summer. My focus is to get back to where I know I can be at 鈥� and even elevating that from what I鈥檝e done in the past."聽
But, both of them know that they鈥檒l likely be the first players to face criticism if things go awry for this year鈥檚 "Cup or bust" Oilers. And Skinner said they have to tune out the noise.聽
"It doesn鈥檛 really matter what they say. I think what really matters is what鈥檚 going on with me and Jack and the rest of the team. It鈥檚 a team game. A lot of parts go into defending. A lot of parts go into offence. For us to be a tight team and work together every single day and get better every single day, that鈥檚 the most important thing."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press
