EDMONTON – “Try to stay in the moment.”

It takes a team to win hockey games.

But, sometimes, it takes one player standing on his head to give their team a fighting chance.

That player in Game 1 of the Cup Final for the Edmonton Oilers was goaltender Stuart Skinner. He finished Wednesday night’s game with 29 saves on 32 shots – 17 of those shots came his way in the second period.

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Since coming back into the net after losing his first two games against the Los Angeles Kings, Skinner has been lights out. In the nine games since, he has a 7-2 record, a .928 save percentage, a 1.80 goals against average, and three shutouts.

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However, there were large stretches of Wednesday night’s game where the Oilers were pressing against the Florida Panthers. Skinner revealed what was going through his head during those moments.

“If I go back in a fifth period…I can’t wait for it to come back my way,” Skinner revealed to The Hockey News. “Try to stay in the moment.”

“Sometimes…heavier breathing just to get more of the adrenaline going and the heartbeat going. Sometimes it’s a deep breath because you’re kind of anxious for it to come your way.”

This is an excellent insight into the practical ways that Skinner keeps his mind clear and engaged in the task at hand – winning hockey games.

Of course, some hopeless optimism seeps its way into these moments too, like the final thought he concluded with.

“There are a lot of thoughts of…I really hope we score.”

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