The Edmonton Oilers observe from the penalty box as St. Louis easily wins 6-3: Hockey Player Cult of Grades.
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The Oilers applied significant pressure for much of the first period, taking a 2-1 lead, but the St. Louis goaltender delivered two outstanding saves, among numerous others, to keep the game competitive.
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However, the Oilers encountered major penalty issues from the second period onward, and the previously effective Edmonton penalty kill struggled to find solutions. Despite having successfully navigated the penalty kill during their winning streak, they faced challenges against a seemingly disciplined St. Louis team. Notably, a considerable portion of the penalties against Edmonton appeared to be subjective decisions, with at least half being 50-50 calls.
Despite Edmonton registering thirty-nine shots, it may not accurately reflect the overall flow of the game.
The performance breakdown is as follows:
**Edmonton Oilers Player Grades:**
**STUART SKINNER (Grade: 4):** Stuart Skinner made impressive saves early in the first period against Kyrou and Parayko while his teammates were settling into the game. Unfortunate on the 1-0 goal, where a St. Louis pass deflected off Bouchard, changing direction sharply and landing perfectly for the shooter. Skinner stopped Schenn on a 4v4 chance but faced challenges on the 2-2, where coverage was scrambled. He got tangled up with his own player on the 3-2 and struggled with leaky penalty kill coverage on the 4-2. Another penalty kill led to the 5-2, and the 6-3 was an empty-netter. While it’s challenging to attribute blame to Skinner for any specific goal, he was acknowledged as the second-best goalie on the ice, stopping 24 of 29 shots.
