The Edmonton Oilers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals, largely on the back of consecutive shutouts by goaltender Stuart Skinner. In the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Florida Panthers brought the Toronto Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination with significant contributions from Aaron Ekblad and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Skinner`s postseason began poorly, as he was replaced by Calvin Pickard following a difficult start in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Pickard then led the Oilers to five straight victories. However, an injury to Pickard in Game 2 against the Golden Knights gave Skinner another opportunity, and he has certainly capitalized on it.
In Game 5, Skinner stopped all 24 shots he faced, earning his second consecutive shutout. This performance kept the Oilers competitive until Kasperi Kapanen scored the overtime winner to seal the series.
In Toronto, the Panthers delivered a decisive 6-1 defeat to the Maple Leafs. It was a comprehensive dismantling from start to finish, with two Panthers players standing out. Ekblad was dominant in demanding five-on-five minutes, while Bobrovsky once again frustrated Toronto`s high-powered forward group.
Here are some of the top individual performances from the NHL playoffs on Wednesday, our `3 Stars of the Night`.
Sergei Bobrovsky | G | Florida Panthers
Bobrovsky came within just 64 seconds of achieving back-to-back shutouts against the Maple Leafs. Despite allowing one late goal, he was tremendous once again. Bobrovsky appears to have elevated his game, looking even better than he did during Florida`s run to the Stanley Cup last summer.
As the Panthers built a large lead, the Maple Leafs directed 32 shots at Bobrovsky, and he turned away 31 of them. One of his most impressive saves came in the first period against Matthew Knies, where Bobrovsky went into a full split after a wild bounce off the end boards. According to Natural Stat Trick, Bobrovsky finished the game with an impressive .875 high-danger save percentage and 1.17 goals saved above average.
Aaron Ekblad | D | Florida Panthers
Ekblad`s postseason has been eventful, marked by two separate suspensions across the first two rounds. While such interruptions might disrupt a player`s rhythm, Ekblad has performed well and was a key factor in Florida`s dominant Game 5 victory over the Maple Leafs.
Late in the first period, Ekblad opened the scoring with a snapshot that beat Anthony Stolarz over the shoulder. He also recorded an assist on Sam Bennett`s power-play goal in the third period. Perhaps most notably, Ekblad excelled in his five-on-five matchups, many of which were against Toronto`s top forwards like William Nylander and John Tavares. Natural Stat Trick data shows Ekblad had a plus-14 shot attempt differential and a plus-12 scoring chance differential at five-on-five.
Stuart Skinner | G | Edmonton Oilers
While Kasperi Kapanen deserves credit for his series-clinching overtime goal, Stuart Skinner`s performance is the main storyline. Skinner lost his starting position in the first round due to poor play and only regained the crease because of Calvin Pickard`s injury. He has certainly made the most of this second chance, powering Edmonton into the Western Conference Final.
With 24 saves in Game 5, Skinner achieved back-to-back shutouts against the Golden Knights, securing the series victory for the Oilers. In Wednesday`s game, while the Oilers` defense limited the Golden Knights to just two high-danger shots over nearly 70 minutes, Skinner still saved 1.63 goals above average. The team`s defensive play has seen significant improvement, but Skinner`s personal turnaround has been remarkable. Just weeks ago, he struggled to stop shots, and now he has eliminated a top Western Conference team with consecutive shutouts.
