(Sunrise) Stuart Skinner was unhappy – with himself, and with the situation.

The Edmonton Oilers goaltender was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of the Western Conference second-round series.

Skinner –– and his resounding .793 save percentage after three starts against the Canucks – was then benched two nights later as his team trailed 2-1 in this best-of series. seven meetings.

Calvin Pickard – a backup goalie who has worked his way up to the NHL – got the next two starts, recording a win and a loss.

Skinner, who was the Oilers’ No. 1 goalie for most of the season, found his net again as his team faced elimination in Game 6. Something clicked, and Skinner turned aside 14 of 15 shots he faced before making 15 saves in a 3-2 victory in the series finale. And just like that, the Oilers were in the Western Conference finals.

The 25-year-old athlete never really took the time to think about this succession of events.

Skinner easily won his duel against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger in the third round, and he had the better of his last two starts in the Stanley Cup final series against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The Russian, a veritable brick wall at the start of the series, began to show chinks in his armor, so much so that the Oilers erased an 0-3 deficit in this series and forced a Game 6 at home Friday evening.

“Obviously, I was very angry,” Skinner admitted of his time at the end of the bench against the Canucks. It was really ugly… it forced me to get my game back, to do everything in my power, no matter what it took, to fight and give my team another chance to win. »

The goalkeeper, who was born and raised in Edmonton, achieved it, and he allowed the Alberta franchise he encouraged as a kid to come within two victories of the sixth title in its history.

All this would not have been possible without him raising his level of play.

“Since he’s been back, he’s been indomitable,” said Oilers veteran Corey Perry. He holds the fort. »

“We all believe in each other,” Skinner added. However, between saying it and doing it… it’s great. »

Since returning to the net, his save percentage has climbed to .912 in 13 starts, including making 72 saves on 76 shots over three games after the Oilers fell 2-1 in their series against the stars.

And after being overshadowed by Bobrovsky, who stopped 82 of 86 shots he faced in the Panthers’ three Stanley Cup final series curtain-raising victories, his save percentage remained steady at .938 in the last two games.

“I’m the same player, but not in the same place,” Skinner explained, responding to a question about what had changed about him since he was benched. I learned lessons and took a step back, caught my breath and regained my focus. »

Thus, like his teammates, Skinner progressed from series to series this spring.

“We put our shoulders to the wheel,” Skinner said. We found ourselves in a precarious position, too.

“We just have to roll up our sleeves and find a way to get through this,” he concluded.