Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch keeps his confidence in Stuart Skinner intact despite long injury absence

Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch believes in Stuart Skinner, who missed eight games due to a head injury. Skinner got hurt in a game against the Winnipeg Jets in March after a collision. A concussion spotter made the call to remove him. He had made 13 saves before leaving that game.

Later, he returned against the Seattle Kraken and the Dallas Stars. But in the second game following the first injury, he collided with Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. He played 46:34 minutes before Pickard replaced him in the third period.

On Sunday, Knoblauch told the media about his faith in Skinner.

"Well, Stu hasn't spent much time away. He's been a regular starting goalie through this - the time that I've been here, and hasn't had to have much time off," Knoblauch said (1:28). "So I can't say that 'I see him play well after a long stretch being off', because it hasn't happened.

"But Stu is a tremendous goaltender. He's given us a lot of good games, and you know, hopefully that he can pick up where he left off, and he's the practice time sometimes is good for The Goal team, just more practice time work on the technical side of it, but yeah, lot of confidence in Stu that he'll play very well for us."

This season, Skinner has a 24-18-4 record with a .894 save percentage. He also has two shutouts.

Last season, he helped the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final. He was a big part of their comeback after the Florida Panthers started 3-0. He helped the team force Game 7, where they lost 2-1.

While Skinner was out, Calvin Pickard stepped in, and Pickard went 5-2-0 during that stretch.

Stuart Skinner is ready to start against the Winnipeg Jets

Stuart Skinner could start for the Edmonton Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. The game starts at 5:00 PM MDT. Sports 1440 Edmonton's Jason Gregor shared the news of Skinner's return on X:

"Oilers update… Stuart Skinner will start in goal tomorrow in Winnipeg."

Knoblauch also confirmed the same in Sunday's interview:

"Skinner is our starting goalie"

The Oilers are back to the playoffs. They are three points behind the Colorado Avalanche in the West, with 97 points. Stuart Skinner's comeback is critical as the regular season nears its conclusion. The team needs a strong finish to get back on track with the unfinished business from last year's Stanley Cup finals.