*Article was written before the Oilers Flames game October 4*
As the Oilers approach the beginning of the regular season next week on October 11 at the Vancouver, one of the few remaining questions is who is going to start in goal for the Oilers? Is it going to be Stuart Skinner who finished last season as the Oilers number one goalie who took them all the way through the playoffs, except for a few periods where Campbell came on in relief? Or is Jack Campbell going to start? the goalie who was signed in the summer of 2022 to be the Oilers number one goalie but faltered through last season before losing the starters net to Skinner?
In the end the decision about who starts doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of who is going to get more starts throughout the rest of the season. It might not even be an indication of who the coaching staff likes more? Both guys have some question marks surrounding them entering the season, and the decision might just come down to who has been hotter in preseason. The idea this season should be to have Skinner and Campbell as a 1A 1B tandem compared to a traditional starter and back up combination.
Coach Woodcroft said that the opening night starting position is wide open for anyone to take, there is no reason to believe that he already has a starter written in pen for opening night October 11. If the Oilers want to hit the ground running, the Oilers need to run with whoever is hot in goal and ride them into opening night to start the year strong.
Skinner
So far this preseason, Skinner has been alright, he hasn’t put up any wild numbers for people to gush over. He’s been solid enough, with only maybe one bad goal against that he would really want back.
In his first game of the preseason, Skinner only allowed one goal on 22 shots, good for a 0.955 SV%. He had a fantastic game even in limited shots against. The Oilers had a more veteran line up compared to the Canucks and the Oilers won 2-1 in OT.
In his second game this preseason, he made 23 saves on 28 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Canucks. You never want to give up 5 goals but when you dive into the rosters, the Canucks had 16/18 skaters that should be on their opening night roster in the line up compared to the Oilers 7. The Oilers were definitely outmatched, so it’s hard to blame Skinner for his 0.821 SV%.
So far through the preseason Skinner had 1 great game, 1 mediocre game (More due to the players in front of him). If he can have a strong finish to the preseason, he has a good shot at starting opening night.
Campbell
Jack Campbell has been doing a lot of work this offseason. Both on and off the ice to be better mentally prepared heading into the season to help him battle back in the Oilers crease this year.
In his first game of the preseason, Campbell posted a 0.971 SV% stopping 24/25 shots against a very veteran heavy Calgary Flames Line up. He put on a fantastic performance in a preseason stunner. The Oilers had virtually none of the regular roster against all of the Flames and they pulled of the upset.
In his second preseason game of the season Campbell continued to perform well. He posted a 0.970 SV% against the Seattle Kraken, helping the Oilers to a 4-1 victory. Campbell has been outstanding so far this preseason.
Verdict
If things keep on this track, the Oilers are in good shape and honestly it probably won’t really matter who starts in net for the Oilers on opening night. Even though Skinner finished the year strong and as the Oilers starter, he’s been slightly outplayed. If Campbell can come out with another great performance on Friday against the Kraken again, I think it’s his starting job to lose on opening night.
It could do wonders for Campbell’s confidence to get a big win under his belt to open the season. Skinner I think would then get the Oilers home opener in the next game. So each have an opener of some point.
Rig City Sports 