"He has really elevated his play": Oilers HC impressed by Jeff Skinner's resurgence during star players' absence

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Apr 04, 2025 11:30 GMT

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Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was impressed with Jeff Skinner's resurgence, particularly amid the absence of star players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The line of Skinner, Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown was solid in the 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Skinner netted his 15th goal of the season, his sixth in the last 13 games.

Knboblauch said after the game that since the injuries to McDavid and Draisaitl, the team has leaned more heavily on other players, and Jeff Skinner has significantly stepped up his performance.

"Absolutely. And every player takes a little transition period of getting used to their situation, especially younger guys, and it happens to older guys too who played thousand games," said Knoblauch post-game.

"But when you're coming in, you got a new coach, new system, new teammates, new city, and I think the last — well, certainly since those injuries to McDavid and Leon — that we've had to rely on other guys more, and he has really elevated his play," he added.

The Edmonton Oilers were without Leon Draisait, who exited in the second period due to an undisclosed injury. He leads the NHL with 52 goals. It will be interesting to se how the Skinner line performs when everyone's healthy as the Stanley Cup playoffs approaches.

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Edmonton Oilers clinch third straight win

On Friday, the Edmonton Oilers beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 at SAP Center, extending their winning streak to three games.

Connor Brown opened the scoring for the Oilers at 6:22 into the first period. Two minutes later, Jack Thompson tied it at 1-1 for the Sharks before heading into the second period.

Viktor Arvidsson restored the Oilers' lead to 2-1 after scoring on the power play, assisted by Leon Draisaitl at 2:59. At 8:48, Tyler Tofolli tied it for the Sharks before the final period.

Jeff Skinner increased the Oilers' lead to 3-2 at 14:57, sealing their third consecutive victory.

"I think every game is different. I think—and I think the last little while, I felt pretty good with, with my game," Skinner said. "But more and more, probably my linemates kind of clicking a little bit better than maybe earlier on in the season.

"For me, myself personally, I think when you click as a line, that's—you can play a little bit more instinct. I think tonight's a great example," he added.

The Oilers will be up against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena next on Saturday.