Skinner: Oilers can get over finals loss quicker this time

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner is confident his club can find a silver lining in losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers two years in a row.

"I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn't do well," Skinner said, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "Going through it a second time, which is obviously devastating, but being able to say you went through this does actually help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again."

The Oilers fell to the Panthers in six games in June. Skinner struggled in the final, posting a .861 save percentage along with a 3.80 goals against average to cap a roller-coaster playoff run. The 26-year-old lost the net to Calvin Pickard in Round 1 before posting a .931 clip and three shutouts across Rounds 2 and 3.

While Edmonton appears set to ice the same tandem between the pipes in 2025-26, Skinner said he believes his approach this summer has improved compared to what followed after the heartbreak against Florida in 2024.

"I think I got back on the ice a little too quick last summer, talking about the experience part again," Skinner said. "Going into the season, I want to be as fresh as I can, as strong as I can."

Skinner went 26-18-4 in the 2024-25 regular season with a .896 save percentage. Drafted in the third round in 2017, Skinner has spent his entire career in the Oilers organization and enters the final season of his contract in 2025-26.

The Oilers primarily made depth moves this offseason, bringing in Andrew Mangiapane, Curtis Lazar, and prospect Isaac Howard. Edmonton also traded Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks and lost Corey Perry and Connor Brown in free agency.