Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, who has once again battled inconsistency this year, talks about getting his head clear ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Edmonton Oilers came within a single victory of the franchise's 1st Stanley Cup since 1990 last year, dropping a heartbreaker to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Cup Final.
For the Oilers, it marked their 2nd straight crushing Cup Final Game 7 loss on the road - 18 years after their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner was shaky throughout the postseason and was even replaced at one point by backup Calvin Pickard before eventually returning to the crease.
This year, the Oilers (led by new GM Stan Bowman) decided to stand pat and attempt a return trip to the Cup Final with Skinner as their starter.
Skinner recently spoke about the need to mentally clear his head so that he can fully focus on his performance for Edmonton.
I don't think I've really met the expectations of myself, but I'm also one of those guys that's very hard on myself. If we'd won all the games that I've lost, I'm sure I'd tell you that I expect more out of myself and can still do better.
Skinner then explained that he decided to completely cut the cord, as in deleting all of his social media.
I learned pretty quickly that you've got to delete everything, so I don't have any apps on my phone. I've got my text messages. I've got my phone call and Clash Royale. That's about it. I've got some chess in there, too."All that (other) stuff, you've just got to delete it, especially with how it was feeding me. I realized it was pointless for myself to be involved in that stuff.
Skinner has posted a record of 23-17-4 this year with a 2.85 GAA, a .896 SV% and a pair of shutouts.
