Skinner was excellent in Game 3, stopping 33 of 34 shots in the Oilers' 6-1 win. Since taking over for Calvin Pickard in Round 2, Skinner has gone 4-2 with a 1.64 GAA, .936 SV% and three shutouts, including a 2.01 GAA and .930 SV% in this series.
Brown will miss at least one game with the undisclosed injury that forced him to leave Game 3 early. It's unclear who will replace Brown in the lineup on Tuesday, because Mattias Ekholm is a game-time decision and could dress at the seventh defenseman.
Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch said that there's a "good possibility" that Pickard suits up as Stuart Skinner's backup in Game 4. Skinner has been great since replacing Pickard in net, going 4-2 with a 1.64 GAA, .936 SV% and three shutouts, so it would likely take an injury for Pickard to get the crease back.
Ekholm has yet to play in the postseason but appears close to making his series debut on Tuesday. With Connor Brown out, Ekholm may suit up as the Oilers' seventh defenseman. Ekholm had 33 points (9G / 24A) in 65 games this season and would be a massive two-way boost for the Oilers.
Skinner continued his up-and-down playoffs in Game 2 as he picked up his third shutout in his previous four starts with a 25-save winning effort on Friday. The 26-year-old has struggled most nights despite being tied for the lead in playoff shutouts (3), with his .890 SV% and 2.90 GAA through seven appearances. He will look to take a 2-1 series lead as Edmonton hosts the Dallas Stars for a matinee on Sunday, who put five by him on 27 SOG in the series opener.
Despite a disappointing performance in Game 1, the Oilers will stick with Skinner between the pipes for Game 2 on Friday. After posting back-to-back shutouts to close out the second round, Skinner struggled in the opening game of round three, allowing five goals on 27 shots in the eventual 6-3 defeat. Skinner and the Oilers enter action on Friday at an even +100 on the money line.
Brown did not take part in Friday's morning skate but he'll remain in the lineup for Game 2 in Dallas. Brown played 13:48 TOI after being a game-time decision in Game 1.
Ekholm last played on April 11th due to an undisclosed injury, but has been a full participant at practice the previous several days as he nears a return. The 34-year-old has been a massive loss for Edmonton's blueline after he posted nine goals, 33 points and a +11 plus/minus in 65 games during the regular season.
Skinner stopped all 24 shots that he faced in the Oilers' shutout overtime win over the Golden Knights in Game 5. That is now back-to-back shutouts for Skinner, who owns a 1.28 GAA, .944 SV% and 2-1 record since returning to the Oilers' crease in Game 3 vs. Vegas. Against the Stars in the 2024 playoffs, Skinner was 4-2 with a 1.91 GAA and .922 SV%.
Skinner stopped all 24 shots that he faced in the Oilers' shutout overtime win over the Golden Knights in Game 5. That is now back-to-back shutouts for Skinner, who owns a 1.28 GAA, .944 SV% and 2-1 record since returning to the Oilers' crease in Game 3 vs. Vegas. Against the Stars in the 2024 playoffs, Skinner was 4-2 with a 1.91 GAA and .922 SV%.
Ekholm last played on April 11th due to an undisclosed injury, but was a full participant for the first time since his injury at practice on Monday. The 34-year-old has been a massive loss for Edmonton's blueline after he posted nine goals, 33 points and a +11 plus/minus in 65 games during the regular season.
Ekholm has yet to appear in the playoffs after suffering an undisclosed injury on April 11th and is expected to remain out of the Oilers' lineup for Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Final, but is hopeful to return for Game 3. The 34-year-old will be welcomed back with open arms as he is a defensive stalwart on Edmonton's back end, averaging 22:12 TOI during the regular season.
Pickard is undefeated in the playoffs through 7 games played but has not played since Game 3 vs. Vegas due to an undisclosed injury. The 33-year-old netminder has been ruled out for the opening games of Edmonton's upcoming Western Conference Final but is hopeful to return in the middle of the series.
Skinner stopped all 23 shots that he faced in the Oilers' shutout win over the Golden Knights in Game 4. It was by far his best performance of the postseason so far, and puts the Oilers one win away from the Western Conference Finals.
Ekholm has not played since suffering an injury in mid-April. Some reports suggested that he may be out of the lineup for the entire postseason, but remarks from Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch suggest that he may be able to play in the third round. The 34-year-old Ekholm had 33 points (9G / 24A) in 65 games this season.
Emberson has appeared in all nine playoff games to date, but it looks like he will be replaced by Troy Stecher in the lineup for Game 4. Emberson has not registered a point and has averaged just 9:29 TOI/gm in the playoffs.
Stecher missed the final two games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury and Monday would be his 2025 playoffs debut. He's expected to replace Ty Emberson on the Oilers' blueline.
Arvidsson has appeared in all nine playoff games so far, but it looks like he will be replaced by Kasper Kapanen in Game 4. Arvidsson has registered four points (1G / 3A) in nine games this postseason.
If Kapanen gets into the lineup, it would be his 2025 Playoffs debut. Kapanen was off the ice ahead of Viktor Arvidsson this morning, so expect him to replace Arvidsson on the fourth line. The veteran winger had 13 points (5G / 8A) in 57 games with the Oilers this season.
