Stuart Skinner will start for Edmonton Oilers in elimination game against Florida Panthers
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It was always going to be Stu Skinner for Game 6 despite all the subterfuge from Oiler coach Kris Knoblauch, who is usually more firm and forthright.
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All this talk Monday from Knoblauch, saying he was taking input from a long list, including his players, everybody offering up an opinion, short of owner Daryl Katz, was, frankly, idle chatter.
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Even though Calvin Pickard has been a warm and fuzzy playoff story with his seven wins, winning six straight at one point until Tomas Hertl fell on his leg in the Vegas second-round series, he is still the backup. Skinner got the Oilers to Game 7 last June, losing 2-1 to Sergei Bobrovsky.
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He got the hook in Game 4 here, but only because the Oilers were awful in the first 20 minutes, and Knoblauch wanted to wake up his team, so he tapped Pickard on the shoulder, and he was outstanding for 51 minutes in the Oilers' rally and OT win.
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But Pickard lost Game 5 at Rogers Place in one of the Oilers' worst playoff games of this Cup run, when they once again fell behind early to the Panthers and chased the game and lost 5-2. Pickard was beaten four times on 18 shots. So, again, they were always returning to Skinner in the elimination game because he's their guy.
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'He's played in a lot of high-pressure games and played well,' said Knoblauch. 'You look at the amount of elimination games he's been in. There was six last year and in every single game he was solid or put in spectacular performances.'
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So, it's Stu vs Bob with the Stanley Cup in the house here.
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'Definitely feels good and I have the confidence of my teammates,' said a calm, composed and often self-deprecating Skinner, who refreshingly always talks on Oiler game mornings, unlike so many goalies.
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'We went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals last year, and Stu was amazing. There's just a trust factor there; we have full belief in him. We know that he can get the job done for us and we're looking forward to getting back home (for a Game 7),' said Draisaitl, who finished the big rally to tie the series 2-2 when Pickard took over.
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