Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft had a lot of moments to choose from in terms of what he liked best about his team’s performance Monday night at the SAP Centre in San Jose.
The Oilers’ complete game against the Sharks seemed to be the most impressive aspect.
“I thought we played a full 60 minutes,” the new Oilers bench boss said after the game. “This was an important game for us.”
Stuart Skinner made 20 saves for his first NHL shutout as the Oilers earned a 3-0 road win.
“He’s certainly physically matured and his game has matured,” Woodcroft said of Skinner. “I’m proud of him.”
After getting his first NHL shutout, Skinner indicated he was well aware of the milestone he just marked.
“It was a pretty special moment,” the young netminder reflected. “Being able to play in the NHL is such a privilege, and to say I got an NHL shutout is something special and cool.”
Skinner was strong early as the Sharks had the first six shots of the game.
The Oilers scored on their first shot on net. Evan Bouchard’s point shot was tipped by Derek Ryan, then went in off Warren Foegele’s leg. It was Foegele’s first goal since Dec. 18.
Just over a minute later, Darnell Nurse’s shot ticked in off the stick of a Sharks defender to make it 2-0.
The Oilers outshot the Sharks 14-2 in the second period but could not extend the lead. They had a three-on-one while shorthanded but didn’t get a shot on goal.
The Oilers kept the pressure on early in the third and went up 3-0 when Connor McDavid snapped a shot under Sharks goaltender James Reimer.
It was the first shutout of the season for the Oilers (25-18-3) who are right back at it Tuesday night in Los Angeles. You can listen to pre-game coverage and the game itself on 630 CHED beginning with The Faceoff Show at 7 p.m. The game starts at 8:30 p.m.
–With files from David Boles, 630 CHED
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