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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.