The Edmonton Oilers won for the sixth time in their last seven games, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 in a key Pacific Division matchup at Rogers Place on Monday.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid celebrated his 28th birthday by scoring the game’s lone goal, assisted by longtime teammates and close friends Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse, while netminder Stuart Skinner stopped all 30 shots he faced to record a shutout.
This was just the 11th regular season game in franchise history that the Oilers have won in regulation by a score of 1-0. Edmonton also defeated Los Angeles 1-0 in regulation during the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the result, Edmonton moves four points ahead of the Kings for second place in the division and is now just four points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead. Los Angeles has two games in hand on both Vegas and the Oilers.
Skinner Keeps on Winning
Skinner was named the game’s first star, and deservedly so, after coming up with some big saves on Monday. He wouldn’t let the opposition score first, and once his team gave him the lead, the 26-year-old goalie protected it.
This was Skinner’s second shutout of the season, although he also shared a clean sheet with backup Calvin Pickard last week when Edmonton defeated the Boston Bruins 4-0 on Jan. 7. Skinner started and finished that game at TD Garden but missed the final 5:25 of the second period after being run into by Bruins blueliner Nikita Zadorov.
All this is to say that Skinner has been playing exceptional lately. After a lacklustre start to the season which might have cost him a spot on Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster, Skinner is 11-3-1 with a 2.09 goals-against average (GAA) and .925 save percentage (SV%) in his last 15 games. His statistics over the past several weeks rank among the very best in the NHL.
This is not unlike last season, when Skinner struggled out of the gate, only to elevate his game significantly around the holiday season. He remained at a high level all the way to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and Oilers fans hope he follows that same trajectory in 2025.
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