'How's that trade looking?': Pittsburgh brings the love to ex-Oilers goalie on a hot streak

This in from Pittsburgh, much love for former Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, who is as hot as lava in net for the Penguins just now. Skinner led the Penguins to a 4-1 win over New Jersey.

After a rough start in Pittsburgh, where he lost his first three games and had an .831 save percentage, Skinner has won three in a row with a .957 save percentage. Against the Devils, he stopped 25 out of 216 shots.

Here are some of the highlights from mainstream and social media from the game and afterwards

Pittsburgh hockey writer Josh Yohe of The Athletic @JoshYohe_PGH
The Penguins were indescribably bad in the first period and, thanks to Stu Skinner, lead 1-0 after 20. Just a sloppy mess that period. Skinner was outstanding.

Hockey News writer Hunter Hodies @HunterHodies
Everyone owes Skinner a steak dinner right now because he’s saving a lot of very egregious defensive errors.

Pittsburgh fan account nhlpens @nhlpens
Stuart Skinner was fantastic tonight. The Penguins were sleeping in the 1st half of the game but still found themselves up 1-0. Because Stu kept them in it, they were able to find their legs and were fantastic in that 2nd half. It all starts with Skinner’s timely saves.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now writer Dan Kingerski @TheDanKingerski
Penguins fans love a guy who got kicked around by his last fanbase. “STuuuuuuuuuu” chants early at PPG. The goalie hears them, too.

Stuart Skinner
It was pretty fun in there. Yeah, I definitely felt the support the whole game I think the guys felt the support the whole game. It was a loud building tonight, and definitely got us going–especially at the start. So, yeah, it was nice. We’ve got to keep it going.

Major Penguins fan account nhlpens @nhlpens
I love how the fanbase is starting to embrace Stuart Skinner. Every save “STUUU” every time he touches the puck out of his net “STUUU” The way his previous fanbase treated him, I can see this being a storyline that the team rallies around. He seems like a great guy! STUUUUU

Penguins star Evgeni Malkin
Skinner is amazing…

Pittsburgh hockey fan Penguins Jesus @PenguinsJesus
I thought tonight would be a trap game against the Devils. Skinner surprised me on the stop against Jesper Bratt. This team, despite all of the concerns, keeps rising to the occasion. I’m starting to believe.

What Chaos podcaster DJ Bean @DJ_Bean
Skinner on a run with the Penguins. 1 GA in each of his last three starts.
How’s that trade looking? ????

Penguins fan ryan ???? @OTCellyy
They’re lucky Skinner is on it right now. Can’t expect him to save their ass all night. Side note: I thought Skinner has started to find his footing after a few rocky starts.

My take

1. Edmonton fans know Stuart Skinner’s game well, all that’s bad about it, all that’s good about it. The good part was Skinner when he got hot. He was as solid as the gate of Gondor when he and his team’s defence were bringing their “A” game. The key for Skinner is finding consistency, and also dealing with some of the agility issues that saw him struggle on seam passes and on plays coming cross-crease from behind the net. Good luck to him.

2. Edmonton has had a run of good-to-excellent goalie play since the Skinner trade, with incoming Tristan Jarry solid until he got hurt, and both Connor Ingram and Calvin Pickard good-to-great in all their games, with the exception of one poor start for Ingram and one iffy start for Pickard. The trade appears to have helped give both Edmonton and Pittsburgh a jolt for the better.

3. It’s too early to say who will eventually win the Jarry for Brett Kulak and Skinner trade, but it’s not too early to say that Skinner needed to be moved, and Jarry likely did as well. In that way, all parties are already winners.

Change was necessary, change happened.

At the Cult of Hockey

Player grades: Edmonton Oilers overcome iffy start to storm by Winnipeg Jets 4-3