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Following each game in the first round between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, we’ll be providing a quick synopsis of the clubs’ goaltending performances.
A look at how each goalie fared in the Oilers’ 6-1 win over the Kings in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series:
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Stuart Skinner, Oilers
27/28 saves, .964
Now that’s more like the STUUUUUUUUUU fans in Edmonton know and love.
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Skinner bounced back from an overtime loss in Game 2 where he allowed what’s become an uncharacteristic five goals-against, to being all but perfect Saturday, allowing a single, solitary tally as the series switched to enemy territory at Crypto.com Arena.
And he did it after taking much of the blame from the previous loss, even if an equal share should have gone to the defence in front of him. But as they say, the buck stops with the puck stopper. And Skinner went right back to stopping them Friday.
He came up with the big saves, the timely saves and maybe even a save or two he probably shouldn’t have been able to as the Oilers frustrated the Kings offence to no end.
Another performance like that on Sunday and the Oilers could very well be eying up the series clincher on home ice in Wednesday’s Game 5.
Cam Talbot, Kings
34/40 saves, .850
Thirty-four saves and only an .850 save percentage? Yeah, Talbot got peppered something fierce in Game 3, taking the brunt for what the Oilers thought was a bad bounce that led to Anze Kopitar’s overtime winner on the breakaway a game earlier.
Edmonton responded by bouncing pucks off of both him and the back of the mesh all night with 40 shots on net.
Honestly, the only saving grace for Talbot is he wasn’t in Edmonton where he’d have to hear his name chanted ad nasueam by the Oilers faithful he once played on the side of.
Instead, he stood in there and took it — while the rest of the team around him appeared to slowly unravel. If it was indeed the beginning of the end and the Kings are facing their downfall, it’s not going to be due to a lack of desire, determination or perspiration from their goaltender.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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