Stuart Skinner makes his feelings known about Oilers teammates not sparking brawl after Nikita Zadorov's hit

Stuart Skinner shared his thoughts about the lack of a brawl after Nikita Zadorov's hit. Skinner received the hit in the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-0 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

In the first period, Zadorov collided with Skinner while trying to cut in front of the net. The hit knocked Skinner’s mask off and sent him face-first onto the ice. Skinner stayed on his knees for a few minutes while being checked by a trainer. He skated off the ice and was replaced by Calvin Pickard with 5:25 left in the period. Zadorov was called for goaltender interference.

Stuart Skinner later explained and talked about the team doctor’s role in deciding if he should stay on the ice.

"Yeah, I believe so. I think they get a call from Toronto." Skinner said, "TD warned me when we were on the ice. He asked me how I was feeling, and obviously all the protocol there that he’s got to do. He just said, 'I don’t really have too much control, but if they call down and you’ve got to come out, then it’s just is what it is.'"

Skinner returned to play in the second period after the break. Following this, Zadorov approached him to say sorry, which Skinner considered a nice gesture.

"So, yeah, they called down and honestly, it’s a smart call." Skinner said, "He got me pretty good. I think that’s like the fifth hit I’ve got this year, so, yeah. He apologized after in the start of the second period, which was really nice of him to do. And yeah, it’s an NHL play, and it happens"

Nikita Zadorov is 1.98 m tall (almost 6'5'' ft) and weighs 112 kg. With this stature, he has an intimidating presence on the ice. Skinner joked about Zadorov's height and said:

"I can only speak for myself. I wasn’t too worried about it. He’s also 8 feet tall, so I wasn’t expecting anybody to go fist with him."

Stuart Skinner made 26 saves, earning a perfect save percentage in the 4-0 victory. This season, Skinner has a 2.78 GAA and a .902 save percentage.

Stuart Skinner's saves helped Oilers in 4-0 win against the Bruins

The Edmonton Oilers won against the Boston Bruins as Adam Henrique scored twice, and Connor McDavid and Viktor Arvidsson also scored. McDavid’s goal was his first in eight games. Coach Kris Knoblauch praised Skinner’s performance, especially during the Bruins' strong third-period push.

“Especially in the first half of the game, I thought we defended really well,” Knoblauch said, per NHL.com, “We did have some breakdowns, and Stu came up with some really big saves. And then in the third period, obviously, they had a strong push and it was a big performance from him.”

This win was Stuart Skinner’s 88th career victory, making it a milestone in his 150th NHL game. The Oilers (25-12-3) have won four straight games.