Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner cannot be relied on for 70+ starts this year. The last goalie to do that for the Oilers - or any other team - was 2016-17 Cam Talbot. The Edmonton Oilers squeaked past the Chicago Blackhawks last night with a 2-1 win. Other than the play of Stuart Skinner, there aren't many positives to take from a game like that. Stuart Skinner. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyMjQ2NDMzMzM0NjMzNTQw/usatsi_21904784_168401874_lowres.jpg] Stuart Skinner. The two points in the bank are great, but the team as a whole needs to perform better tomorrow night in Detroit. With only 15 shots on net for the entire game, that was their lowest shots on goal in any game this season. The previous lowest was 23 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers in October and the Carolina Hurricanes on November 22. Adding insult to injury were the two goals that were called back on the Oilers. Both should have been scored by Zach Hyman. One was waived off on the ice and the other was called back after being challenged for offside. Here's the goal that was waived off on the ice. This feels like a game of "Where's Waldo?" - only instead of Waldo I'm looking for how Hyman actually impeded Petr Mrazek's ability to stop this puck. As if one call wasn't egregious enough, the second called-back goal is mind boggling in it's own right. I guess the explanation with this one is that Leon Draisaitl didn't have full control of the puck before his body crossed the line. See for yourself below. What is offside? Who is offside? It appears to be a guessing game at this point. Connor McDavid said it best: "If it takes you 15 minutes to determine if it's offside or not, it probably doesn't matter." OILERS FEELING DEJA VU Rewind the clocks back to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and we see another offside call against the Oilers. In game one of that series against the Colorado Avalanche, Cale Makar collects a puck on an attempted zone clear from Darnell Nurse, enters the zone and snipes the puck past goaltender Mike Smith. Mike Smith. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyMDUzNzQ2NjA2MjIwOTEz/usatsi_18480057_168401874_lowres.jpg] Mike Smith. Make what you will of the "missed" offside against Makar, but this most recent one against Draisaitl appears to be splitting hairs. Visit the Striking Oil Podcast website Subscribe to the Striking Oil Podcast YouTube Channel Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss an Oilers update. Related: Oilers Could Trade For Flyers Defender Related: Oilers' Draisaitl Worthy of Nylander's New Deal Related: Oilers Call Up Young Defenseman Related: Sexiest Edmonton Oiler Alive
