“Oilers are screwed,” was the general sentiment among Edmonton Oilers fans when Stuart Skinner was announced to be replacing Calvin Pickard for Game 3 against the Golden Knights in Round 2 of the playoffs. Coincidentally (?), the move proved to be costly, and the team lost the match 4-3. Reflections of that fateful game were all over again tonight. But rest assured, Connor McDavid isn’t letting his netminder weather the storm all by himself.
The entire Oilers camp knew it wouldn’t be an easy game. After all, the Amerant Bank Arena is only the place where Edmonton lost the tie-breaking Game 7 at last year’s Stanley Cup Finals. And it seems like the venue still isn’t up for redeeming itself to the Western Conference champions. But while many would argue that it was lax on Skinner’s part that brought about today’s tough 6-1 loss, Connor McDavid isn’t one to pay heed to the allegations.
The Oilers’ captain was heard admitting, in a YouTube upload by the official team account from June 9, that it was the entire team, and not just the goalie, to blame for today’s loss to the Florida Panthers. On being asked if Skinner didn’t get the support he needed from his teammates to keep the Cats at bay, Connor McDavid said, “I don’t know about that. You know, can we be better on the first one? Maybe just a little bit of a scramble. They get it. We don’t.”
“I’m sure we can be better, harder in front of them there,” the Canadian hockey center nonetheless acknowledged that the whole team was subpar at tonight’s match, which resulted in the deplorable final result. McDavid went on to note that the Oilers’ poor defensive play made it easier for Brad Marchand & Co. to keep planting the puck inside Edmonton’s net.
Credits: Instagram/Connor McDavid
“The penalty kill. They’ve got some good players, good shooters. You give them that much time, they’re going to make their shot,” Connor said, clearly lauding the opponent’s eagerness to make use of any opportunity that came their way. With his comments, McDavid seemingly refuted Skinner’s attempts to take the blame for the Game 3 loss.
In an X post by the official Edmonton Oilers account, Skinner claimed it was “penalty chaos” that defeated the team. While the seasoned netminder admitted that there were a few really good shots by the Panthers, he also confessed, “As a goalie, you gotta come up with a save.” But Connor McDavid, evidently, wasn’t ready to put all the blame on his colleague.
The story is developing…
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