As Oilers Appreciate Goalie Stuart Skinner, Rangers Make Dubious History On Home Ice

Shortly before Stuart Skinner began detailing how he held the New York Rangers without a goal, one of his Edmonton Oilers teammates quipped something along the lines of “gets a shutout and he’s packing to his own bags.

Around the time of the light-hearted quip or shortly after it, there was a tone of disbelief coming from the Rangers.

While the Oilers were appreciating Skinner’s effort in a 2-0 win on Tuesday, the Rangers made some dubious history by becoming the first team in NHL history to go scoreless through their first three games, giving them 180 straight minutes without a goal on home ice.

The streak is slide of 183:36 if you count the final goal of their ill-fated 82-game excursion known as the 2024-25 season, which ushered in the coaching tenure of Mike Sullivan after nearly a decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” said Mika Zibanejad, who took three shots on goal and fanned on a one-timer in the second period that he normally would convert. “I honestly don’t know.”

Among the things that left the Rangers baffled were hitting two crossbars in the second period, including one instance when Sam Carrick took a shot that seemed to sail over Skinner but hit the middle of the crossbar and landed firmly in front of the goal line.

“We’re getting a lot of chances,” captain J.T. Miller said two nights after the Rangers could not get any of their 35 shots past Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren. “This is a unique start to a season, and it [stinks] that we had a couple games where we feel like we’ve really thrown a lot at the other team and we’re not getting rewarded. Over time, results will come.”

“I haven’t quite seen it like this to start the season, where we just can’t buy one, but I think this is where you can lean on experience, and our veterans that have been around and just stick with it,” Carrick said. “We know that they’re going to come here sooner or later, it’s just a matter of time.’’

Whether it’s a fluky thing or running into some hot goaltending can be up for debate but it also may give an indication of where the Oilers and Rangers are headed based on their early results.

Edmonton is three games into its second season as defending conference champions, something it last achieved in Wayne Gretzky’s final season in 1987-88.

Last season the Oilers began slowly, getting outscored 15-3 in a season-opening losing streak. It was part of a middling 6-7-1 start through 14 games before they went 23-6-2 over their next 31 to establish themselves as a strong contender in the loaded Western Conference.

In 2023-24, the start was even worse. A 3-9-1 start led to coach Jay Woodcroft’s ouster and the Oilers established themselves by going 24-3-0 in their final 27 games before the All-Star break.

This time, only a blown three-goal lead and lengthy shootout loss in the season opener to the Calgary Flames are separating the Oilers from a three-game winning streak. In the past two games against the Canucks and Rangers, Edmonton has allowed one goal on 45 shots on goal and Skinner’s showing helped the Oilers survive a night when scoring chances were plentiful against an opponent eager to breakthrough in a season with modest expectations.

“There were definitely a lot of scoring chances against us, more than we would like to give up,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But he played a really strong game. And they weren’t easy saves, a lot of east-west, lateral saves where he had to be quick and I thought he moved really well.

“You’re going to win different ways, whether your power play comes up big, or the penalty kill or defensive play. Tonight, we won a game with goaltending.”

Knoblauch is totally accurate about the chances. He made his comments after the Rangers had 74 shot attempts, two nights after the Oilers conceded 41 attempts to the Canucks.

“I think it’s really good for just our morale in general, being able to fight one off, being able to battle, grind and win a game in a hard way,” Skinner said. “That was a man’s game out there, and the way that the guys played, they deserved getting the two points tonight.”

The Rangers hope they can say they won a game with the goaltending of Igor Shesterkin, but until they get the coveted breakthrough at home, the scoring issue will be a narrative.