Following a lengthy layoff coinciding with the NHL All-Star break, the Edmonton Oilers return to action tonight (Feb. 7), when they meet the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. As of Monday (Feb. 6) evening, the Oilers had yet to indicate who they would start between the pipes in Detroit, but given everyone is healthy and rested, it’s obviously going to be their No. 1 goaltender.
And considering he was just part of the NHL All-Star Game, rubbing shoulders with the greatest hockey players on planet Earth, Stuart Skinner is obviously Edmonton’s No. 1 goaltender.
Except he’s not. With just 30 games remaining on their 2022-23 season schedule, the Oilers have no obvious No. 1 goalie. And if one goalie was closer to that job description than the other, at this very moment it’s probably not Skinner. It’s Jack Campbell.
‘Who’s the No. 1?’ might be the number one question facing Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft as his team heads into the stretch drive, looking to challenge for first place in the Pacific Division standings.
Oilers’ Long Search for a Starter
How the Oilers got here is a most unusual journey that began this season, but really dates back years as they have haplessly tried to find themselves a true No. 1 between the pipes that can provide the goaltending to complement the explosive offensive ability of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
After three seasons with the netminding tag-team of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith, an era that produced more misses (two way-too-early playoff exits) than hits (one trip to the Western Conference championship series), Edmonton went in a new direction. In July, the Oilers signed Campbell to be their man in the crease, giving the former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie a five-year contract worth $25 million, while Skinner was finally promoted to a full-time NHLer, in the role of backup.
Skinner and Campbell Succeed at Different Times
Campbell, however, struggled out of the gate. Actually, to be frank, he was downright dreadful: in his first 10 starts, the veteran netminder posted a 4.27 goals-against average (GAA) and .873 save percentage (SV%). Through the first five weeks of the NHL season (games through Nov. 11), Campbell had the worst SV% and second-worst GAA among all goalies with at least eight appearances.
Skinner, meanwhile, stepped up and provided steady, consistent No. 1-calibre goaltending. Woodcroft increasingly relied on the younger of his two goalies, to the point where Skinner started 17 of Edmonton’s 22 games from Nov. 12 and Dec. 30.
When the calendar turned from 2022 to 2023, Skinner had so far significantly outperformed Campbell over the season in wins (12 to 8), GAA (2.78 to 4.02), and SV% (.917 to .876).
But in limited appearances, Campbell was showing improvement. Then an opportunity arose for the veteran, when, after Edmonton’s 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 9, Skinner left the Oilers to be with his wife who was due to give birth to the couple’s first child.
It wouldn’t be until Jan. 21 before Skinner played again. In the meantime, Campbell made five consecutive starts and won them all, posting a 2.20 GAA and .922 SV% over those games. Campbell has continued to shine since, and the veteran netminder is currently riding a streak that has seen him win his last seven starts.
Between his time away from the team and the All-Star Break, Skinner has made just five starts since Dec. 30, posting a substandard 3.69 GAA, and .897 SV% over those games. He also has just one win in the last five and a half weeks.
Skinner Makes All-Star Debut
Skinner was one of the final 12 players selected to the NHL All-Star Game through fan vote, announced on Jan. 19. On Saturday (Feb. 4), the 24-year-old became the first rookie Oilers goaltender to play in the NHL’s midseason classic since Grant Fuhr in 1982, stopping two of three shots in just over eight minutes of action in Team Pacific’s 6-4 loss to Team Central. And that brings us to today.
Related: Oilers’ Stuart Skinner Is the Most Unlikely All-Star in Team History
What the Oilers have here is not what you would traditionally call a goaltender controversy. All signs indicate that Campbell and Skinner get along and are happy in Edmonton. And on more nights than not this season, the go-to goalie has been an easy decision based either on recent performance or availability.
Ideally, both goalies are performing at the top of their game, leaving Woodcroft with a tough choice to make each time he fills out his lineup card. That’s what’s called ‘a good problem to have’.
Campbell has the experience and has played better of late. He’s also never been on the roster of a team that has won an NHL playoff series, while Skinner has backstopped teams to postseason championships at every prior level of his career, from minor hockey (Western Canada Bantam Championship with Edmonton’s South Side Athletic Club in 2013) to major junior (Western Hockey League title with the Swift Current Broncos in 2018) to the American Hockey League (John D. Chick Trophy with the Bakersfield Condors in 2022).
But it’s anyone’s guess who will be starting for this team in the playoffs. Predicting who gets the nod tonight in Detroit is barely easier.
