"My headspace is in a really good spot": Stuart Skinner gives an insight into his mentality after Oilers suffer 5 straight losses 

On Thursday, the Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to the Florida Panthers. It was their fifth straight loss since Feb.7. Their performance was better than Tuesday's performance against Tampa Bay but fell short. Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 32 saves but allowed two costly goals in the third period.

Skinner has struggled recently with a 2-6-1 record in his last 10 starts. In that period, he has a .887 save percentage and a 3.44 goals-against average. Despite his underperformance, he is confident about his mindset rather than his stats.

“I feel great. I feel good mentally. Super excited to keep playing. I was really excited to play tonight. I feel like my headspace is in a really good spot. I'm ready to rock and roll whenever my number is called. I get pretty excited to play,” Skinner said per OilersNation's Zach Laing.

The Oilers took too many penalties, which messed up their game. Skinner made 32 saves, but a few more stops could have changed the result.

Leon Draisaitl scored for the seventh straight game. Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman also scored. Florida capitalized on Edmonton’s mistakes, with Anton Lundell, Uvis Balinskis, Carter Verhaeghe and Nate Schmidt scoring. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for the Panthers.

The Oilers remain competitive in the Pacific Division. Their record is 34-21-4 with 72 points, two behind the Vegas Golden Knights. They face the Carolina Hurricanes next at PNC Arena on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Oilers' captain Connor McDavid is struggling after 4 Nations Face-Off win

Connor McDavid has struggled since returning to the NHL after leading Team Canada to victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He has only four shots in his last three games with the Oilers.

Talking about his performance, McDavid accepted that he has not felt good on the ice and talked about the need to improve.

"I'd be lying if I said I've been feeling good out there," McDavid said Thursday via NHL.com. "It's been tough to get going, which is obviously not an excuse. I've got to find a way to get going here. Obviously a big emotional week, an exciting week last week. Back to reality pretty quick."

McDavid further admitted his frustration, saying his season has not gone as he had hoped.

"Obviously the year hasn't gone the way I would have loved, personally, but we're not after personal success," he added. "I wish I was playing better. I wish I had played better all year. ...Winning games is more important, and we haven't been doing that lately."

McDavid’s production has slowed in 2025, with 20 points in his last 19 games. He is on pace for 107 points, his lowest in a full season since 2020-21.