The Buffalo Sabres are not having the best of starts to the season, as they sat in last place in the Atlantic Division. This past Saturday, the Sabres ended a five-game losing streak by defeating the Detroit Red Wings in overtime. On Monday, the Sabres officially turned a losing streak into a winning streak.
On Monday, the Sabres routed the Edmonton Oilers 5-1. It was a rough outing for Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, who allowed four goals on 27 shots faced. Three of those goals came on even strength. It's no secret that Skinner has had his fair share of struggles this season, especially on a team that is expected to make a return to the Stanley Cup Final. The Sabres commentary team didn't pull any punches.
As the Oilers pulled Skinner for an extra skater late in the game, MSG Network play-by-play commentator Dan Dunleavy mentioned that the Oilers were skating with an empty net, and analyst Rob Ray said, "Yeah it has been for most of the night, so what's the difference?"
Sabres commentator Rob Ray rips Oilers' Stuart Skinner for goaltending woes
Ray didn't pull any punches there. The Sabres can take the wins where they can get them, but Monday was a dominant effort.
The Oilers struck gold before the season started as they retained superstar Connor McDavid on a two-year, $25 million contract extension. McDavid signed to stay in Edmonton to help them win a Stanley Cup. The team-friendly contract helped the Oilers retain the likes of Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm, while bringing in Jack Roslovic. Yet, the goaltending issues that have plagued the Oilers in their previous two playoff runs have continued to be a problem, particularly with Skinner.
So far this season, after the loss to the Sabres, Skinner has now recorded an .889 save percentage, a 2.86 goals allowed average, and a 7-5-3 record. The Sabres didn't make things easy on Skinner, as they scored two quick goals in the second period, one each by Bowen Byram and Beck Malenstyn, and a third-period goal by Noah Ostlund for his second of the game. Tage Thompson clinched the empty net goal.
That's not to say that the Sabres goaltenders have been flawless. Sabres goaltenders have allowed 3.48 goals per game, which ranks sixth-highest in the league. The Oilers allow 3.50 goals per game, which ranks fifth.
The Sabres got the best of the Oilers with relative ease, which opened Skinner and the team up for criticism. Ray didn't hold back in his assessment of Skinner's performance on Monday.