Oilers' Skinner on rough Game 2: 'Luck wasn't on my side tonight'
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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 26 shots as the Los Angeles Kings evened their first-round series with a 5-4 overtime win on Wednesday night.
Skinner turned aside 33 of the 37 shots he faced in Monday's 7-4 victory in Game 1, but did allow two goals in the final four minutes of the game as the Kings tried to fight back. He allowed three goals on seven shots in the first period of Wednesday night before stopping all 10 shots he faced in the second period. Anze Kopitar scored the game-winner on the Kings' first shot of overtime.
“Since the third period of Game 1, just some really tough bounces are happening,” Skinner said. “That's not saying that it leaked into tonight, it’s just that they're getting some good puck luck right now. We've also had our fair share of puck luck as well.
“That's how hockey works sometimes. Luck wasn't on my side tonight.”
The 25-year-old netminder posted a 36-15-5 record in the regular season with a .905 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average. His season, however, came to an ugly ending when he was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots in the first period of Game 82 against the Colorado Avalanche.
Against the Kings in the first round, Skinner is now 1-1 with a .857 save percentage and a 4.42 GAA.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch called his team as a whole to step up to decrease the goals allowed after Wednesday's loss.
"I think there's a lot to clean up," Knoblauch said. "They are a good team, they're going to get their chances, but we were giving them some opportunities we didn't need to."
The Oilers, who went 3-1 against the Kings during the regular season, will now head to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday, with Game 4 set for Sunday at the Staples Center.