Stuart Skinner made 33 saves to win his National Hockey League debut on Sunday. The former Swift Current Broncos goaltender helped the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Ottawa Senators 8-5 after being called up from the taxi squad on an emergency basis.
The Oilers scored only eight seconds into regulation and scored five goals in the first period to give the rookie netminder plenty of breathing room as picked up the win in his home town.
Skinner was outstanding for the Broncos during their 2018 championship run with a 16-8-2 record. He finished with six shutouts, a 2.20 goals against average, and a 0.932 save percentage in the post-season.
He had appeared in 25 regular season games after being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the trade deadline. The 6’4’’ netminder finished with a 16-6-1-1 record with a 2.68 GAA and a 0.914 save percentage.
Skinner appeared in 41 AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors last season with a 16-17-8 record, a 3.62 GAA, and an 0.892 save percentage. He also played three games in the East Coast Hockey League with the Wichita Thunder.
Skinner was drafted 78th overall by the Oilers in 2017.
