Oilers' Stuart Skinner quips about suffering concussion from Mikko Rantanen hit

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner reflected on the concussion he suffered from a hit by Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen in March. Skinner missed eight games after taking a knee to the head from Rantanen during a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on March 26th.

Speaking after the Oilers' 3-0 shutout win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night, Skinner was asked how he would compare his energy levels now to before the injury.

"Absolutely. At the time it obviously sucks, but you can look at it one way or the other," Skinner responded (2:20 onwards). "I'm trying to look at it in the way it was the best thing for me.

"Rantanen knocked some sense into me, so it was a time for me to recover, take some time off, spend some time with the family, really heal my mind."

Skinner went on to say that while his body was okay and he was able to work out a bit, the time off provided an opportunity to rest and recover mentally as well.

“I probably feel more energized now. It probably is because I had a solid two weeks where I was on concussion protocol, so that could definitely have something to do with it." Stuart Skinner added.

Against the Sharks, Skinner looked sharp in his second game back from the injury, stopping all 18 shots he faced. Ty Emberson, Max Jones and Corey Perry scored for the Oilers. Alexandar Georgiev had 25 saves for the Sharks.

Stuart Skinner shuts out San Jose Sharks

Ty Emberson opened the scoring for the Edmonton Oilers up 1-0 at 8:20 of the first with a wrist shot that went over Alexandar Georgiev's blocker. Max Jones made it 2-0 at 10:17 of the second. Henrique fed him a pass from behind the net, and Jones finished it off in front.

Corey Perry sealed the win with an empty-net goal from center ice at 17:23 of the third, making it 3-0.

"When you get a shutout, you have a lot to give your teammates for that," Stuart Skinner said on the shutout win.

The Oilers finished third in the Pacific Division, setting the stage for a first-round playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.