Oilers outlast Jets 3-2 in pre-season shootout
WINNIPEG -- Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner simply stoned the Jets in their own barn.
Skinner not only stopped 33 of 35 shots, but he shut them out in both overtime and the shootout as the Oilers beat the Jets 3-2 in an NHL pre-season shootout before 14,190 fans at the Canada Life Centre on Saturday night.
"He wants to continue to have a real good training camp because he knows it's an important year for himself and for our team," said Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft. "I think he's ready for the opportunity. Obviously, he played a great game tonight and gave us a chance to win. He made numerous big saves and, in the end, we found a way to make one more save than the other team."
The Oilers improved to 3-2 in pre-season.
"I thought I played well," Skinner said. "Obviously, it's the first (65)-minute game I got to play. Just coming into regular season and feeling good, and making sure your body feels good is important, especially going into a shootout as well."
Oilers forward Devin Shore scored the only goal in the shootout, but he credited Skinner for the victory.
"Stuart's awesome," Shore said. "The guys in front of him worked our butts off, but he definitely stole us the win here. He was our best player and we're going to need that from time to time, especially on the road."
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves on 25 shots as Winnipeg fell to 2-1-1 in pre-season.
Forwards Jason Demers and Tyler Benson netted the other Edmonton goals. Cole Perfetti scored a pair of goals for the Jets.
"I'm happy, I need games," Perfetti said. "I haven't played since February before the rookie tournament, so I needed games, I need to get up to speed and to make sure everything is good with the (back) injury. The health and all that is the most important thing.
"It's been great. I'm getting back to speed. Each game I've felt better and better. That's kind of my focus, for each game to find something and take that next step forward.
"I've liked my game, how it's evolved throughout the rookie tournament and throughout the first three pre-season games for me. I like playing in the games. It's a little tiring, but at the same time, you want to stay at that speed and you don't want too many days off."
Veteran forward Blake Wheeler has been impressed by Perfetti, who played on the same line.
"Great hockey sense," Wheeler said. "He's a real smart player and can make plays and can go to the right spots. He thinks the game at an NHL level. He's going to be a guy that's going to be a lot of fun to watch here for a long time."
The Oilers had forced the overtime when Demers scored to tie the game 2-2 when Edmonton had a two-man advantage midway through the third period.
Winnipeg will welcome the Calgary Flames to town on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'