The Edmonton Oilers are advancing to the Western Conference Finals, propelled by two consecutive shutouts from goaltender Stuart Skinner. Meanwhile, in the other half of the NHL playoff bracket, the Florida Panthers pushed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the verge of elimination with significant contributions from Aaron Ekblad and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Skinner faced a challenging start in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings and was temporarily replaced by Calvin Pickard. Pickard successfully led the Oilers to five consecutive wins in the postseason. However, an injury to Pickard during Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights provided Skinner with a second opportunity, and he has certainly made the most of it.
In Game 5, Skinner stopped all 24 shots directed his way, securing his second straight shutout. This outstanding goaltending kept the Oilers in the game until Kasperi Kapanen scored the winning goal in overtime.
Up in Toronto, the Panthers delivered a convincing 6-1 defeat to the Maple Leafs. It was a thorough dismantling from start to finish, with two Panthers players particularly standing out. Ekblad was dominant during tough five-on-five minutes, while Bobrovsky once again frustrated Toronto`s potent forward group.
Let`s highlight some of the top performances from around the NHL playoffs on Wednesday, recognizing them as our 3 Stars of the Night.
Sergei Bobrovsky | G | Florida Panthers
Bobrovsky was just 64 seconds shy of recording back-to-back shutouts against the Maple Leafs. Despite conceding a late goal, his performance was once again tremendous. Bobrovsky appears to have elevated his game significantly, looking even better than he did during Florida`s run to the Stanley Cup Final last summer.
As the Panthers built a large lead, the Maple Leafs registered 32 shots against Bobrovsky, and he turned aside 31 of them. One of his most notable saves was a first-period split stop on Matthew Knies following a unpredictable bounce off the end boards. According to Natural Stat Trick, Bobrovsky finished the game with an .875 high-danger save percentage and 1.17 goals saved above average.
Aaron Ekblad | D | Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad has had an eventful postseason, including serving two separate suspensions across the first two playoff rounds. Despite this disruption, Ekblad has played effectively and was a major factor in Florida`s dominant Game 5 win over the Maple Leafs.
Late in the first period, Ekblad opened the scoring with a hard snapshot over the shoulder of Anthony Stolarz. He also added an assist on Sam Bennett`s power-play goal in the third period. Perhaps most impressive was Ekblad`s control during his five-on-five ice time, much of which came against formidable opponents like William Nylander and John Tavares. Natural Stat Trick data shows Ekblad held a plus-14 advantage in shot attempts and a plus-12 advantage in scoring chances when both teams were at full strength while he was on the ice.
Stuart Skinner | G | Edmonton Oilers
While Kasperi Kapanen certainly deserves recognition for his series-winning overtime goal, Stuart Skinner is the central story. Skinner lost his starting role in the first round due to struggling play and only returned to the net because of an injury to Calvin Pickard. He has fully capitalized on this second chance, powering Edmonton to the Western Conference Final.
With 24 saves in Game 5, Skinner achieved back-to-back shutouts against the Golden Knights, helping to seal the series victory for the Oilers. In Wednesday night`s game, the Edmonton defense limited Vegas to just two high-danger shots over nearly 70 minutes, yet Skinner still posted 1.63 goals saved above average. While the Oilers` team defense has significantly improved, Skinner`s personal turnaround has been remarkable to witness. Just a few weeks ago, he faced difficulty stopping shots, and now he has ended the season of another top Western Conference team.
