Stars' $96,000,000 forward confers important title on Oilers' Stuart Skinner after lopsided Game 3 loss

Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars suffered their second straight loss, a blowout in Game 3 as Stuart Skinner and the Edmonton Oilers won 6-1. Rantanen, who signed an eight-year $96 million contract with the Stars after making a trade this season, complimented Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner for being the difference maker in the well-earned win.

Stuart Skinner has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from Oilers fans who are skeptical if the homegrown goalie can be considered one of the elite talents in the sport.

After two disastrous games against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, Skinner was benched in favor of Calvin Pickard. Last year in the playoffs, he was dropped in the second round against the Vancouver Canucks.

However, he rebounded to take the Oilers within one game of a Stanley Cup win. It has been a similar if not a more dominant story unfolding so far. Since the first two games of the third round, the 26-year-old has gone 4-2 with a high .936 shooting percentage, including three shutouts.

On Sunday, he pulled out the big stops, especially in the second period, which saw the backstop make 20 saves. A relentless effort from the Stars saw Jason Robertson as the sole goal earner against Skinner at 15:35 in the second.

However, a Connor McDavid goal in the dying stages of the period to make it 3-1 was enough to give Skinner and the Oilers the cushion. They held strong in a dominating display at home. As per Rantanen, Skinner was the undisputed game-winner.

“I think Skinner was a difference-maker tonight,” Rantanen said. “I think he was really good. He made key saves. Even when it was 3-1, (Tyler Seguin) had a Grade A in the slot, and 10 seconds later, it was 4-1. He was the MVP of the match, I would say.”

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Kris Knoblauch makes feelings known about Stuart Skinner's game-winning effort

For coach Kris Knoblauch, it has a tough decision to bring in Calvin Pickard during the series against the Kings but with his injury, the Oilers have had to rely on Skinner to come out big.

In the first game of the Western Conference Finals, he let in five goals but since then, he has conceded just one. Knoblauch pointed out how their goalie has come out of poor stretches to return to top form.

“For him to get dialed in and playing the way he is, as much help as you can give him, it lays on his shoulders, and I think he’s done a tremendous job rebounding after a stretch after he hasn’t played well, and his stretches usually aren’t that long,” Knoblauch said.

“He usually rebounds quite quickly and plays a solid game. I’ve seen it all last year and this year during playoffs. That first round wasn’t how he anticipated, but since he’s come back, he’s been really good.”

Stuart Skinner and the Oilers are two games away from reaching consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, which they will hope to accomplish that at home in Game 5 on Thursday. Game 4 is on Tuesday.