Edmonton Oilers did not make Stuart Skinner available to the media following the Game 3 loss.
Edmonton Oilers did not make Stuart Skinner available to the media following the Game 3 loss.
EDMONTON -- So close, yet so far.
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The Edmonton Oilers find themselves in a 2-1 series hole after dropping Game three to the Vancouver Canucks on home ice - with a 4-3 final score. Mattias Ekholm, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard were the goal scorers for the Oilers.
Ultimately a combination of poor officiating and poor goaltending cost the Oilers the game. Stuart Skinner played the first two periods - but then was replaced by Calvin Pickard to start the third period. At that point in the game he had made 11 saves on 15 shots. Pickard stopped all three shots that he faced.
Skinner has been excellent when it comes to facing the music after a tough loss - the last time was as recent as the Game two loss to the Los Angeles Kings in round one.
Last night, the media requested to speak with Skinner (along with Warren Foegele and Draisaitl) but the Oilers elected to not make him available.
This hasn't been the first time that the organization has done something like this - but it's the first time it's happened this playoff run. Foegele spoke to the media after his egregious giveaway that led to a Canucks goal mere seconds later. He owned up to it off the hop and no one among the press batted an eye.
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Holding your starting goaltender back from speaking to the media - when he has a history of owning up to games like this and acknowledging his need to be better - is strange to say the least.
It's not a good look for the team - who did this earlier in the season with young Philip Broberg. These players are professionals, let them act like it by allowing them to own up to their mistakes and moving on.
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