NHL greats Marty Brodeur, Grant Fuhr give their honest opinion on Stuart Skinner's performance for Oilers

Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner received high praise from two legendary goalies following his stellar performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon.

Skinner was sharp, making 33 saves in the game. In particular, Skinner survived a 21-shot onslaught in the second period, allowing just one goal.

That performance prompted the NHL’s winningest goalie, Martin Brodeur, to praise Stuart Skinner. Brodeur was quoted by The Athletic in Sunday's piece by insider Pierre LeBrun.

“In wins, he’s been great," Brodeur said. "It’s a grind for goalies in the playoffs. The reset really helped him out. Finally found his groove now. It’s amazing how people are critical of goalies in conference finals. It’s quite an achievement to get there; only four guys still standing after all.”

Brodeur’s comments echo the perception that Stuart Skinner has been largely inconsistent this postseason, especially after giving up 11 goals in the first two games against the LA Kings in the Oilers’ opening-round series.

But returning after Calvin Pickard’s injury, Skinner has been money in the bank. Oilers great and five-time Stanley Cup champion Grant Fuhr acknowledged Skinner’s turnaround this postseason.

“I do think he has steadied things down," Fuhr said. "It looks a lot like last year, where he had some tough games but was very resilient and bounced back.”

With the way the Oilers are playing, Stuart Skinner doesn’t need to be brilliant. Being steady is good enough for a team loaded with talent led by all-world centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid praises Stuart Skinner

Connor McDavid praised Skinner for his impressive performance in Game 3 against Dallas - Source: Imagn

Martin Brodeur and Grant Fuhr weren’t the only ones singing Stuart Skinner’s praises. Team captain Connor McDavid also spoke admirably of his goalie’s performance in Game 3.

The Athletic quoted McDavid:

“I thought we were fortunate to be up after 40 (minutes), but I thought Stu did a great job. We played really solid in front of him in Game 2 and not so solid tonight. He gave us a chance to get our legs into it. And gave us a chance to win.”

The Oilers survived the Stars’ assault in the second period, heading into the dressing room with a 3-1 lead. Then, the Oilers found another gear, scoring three times in the third to finally put some separation between them and the Stars.

The 6-1 lopsided final score was more of a testament to the Oilers’ resilience than the Stars’ lack of scoring prowess.

As long as Skinner continues delivering solid goaltending, the Oilers will have a chance to win every game with the impressive high-end scoring talent in the lineup.