PK Subban throws shade at Oilers and Stuart Skinner ahead of Stanley Cup final

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Graham Montgomery
June 4, 2024 (9:38 PM)

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The Oilers are on to the Stanley Cup finals this year, but former NHL defenseman PK Subban thinks the team, and specifically Stuart Skinner, do not have what it takes to win it all.

Subban was recently on ESPN where he discussed the upcoming Stanley Cup finals. Oilers fans might not like the way he talking about the series though, as he is predicting the Florida Panthers will win their first ever Stanley Cup this year.

In the defenseman's mind, it all comes down to the goaltending battle. Skinner was good in the conference finals against Dallas, but has been highly inconsistent this season overall. Subban thinks the advantage goes to Bobrovsky and the Panthers, ultimately helping the cats win.

"Edmonton can win this series, but it's going to take Stuart Skinner to be better than Sergei Bobrovsky, which I don't believe is going to happen. Sergei Bobrovsky has been unbelievable, and I believe that he'll be the best player in this Final when it's all said and done. To ͏me the most important thing is the ͏goaltending duel. Sergei Bobrovsk͏y has to be ͏Florida's best͏ player, and I think that he will be."

The Oilers success in the playoffs this year has been highly dependent on Skinner. The team is nearly unbeatable when he plays reasonably well, as they are 8-1 when he posts a save percentage above .890 but only 3-4 when he does not.

Real chicken or the egg scenario up in Edmonton with Stuart Skinner. I don't think there's a more score effect dependent goalie in the entire league

That being said, Skinner had to be very good in game six to secure the Oilers ticket to the finals. The team was outshot 35-10 in the game, with Skinner active in his crease virtually the entire time, with the Stars putting on pressure consistently throughout the game. Luckily, he was able to prevail in this instance, but it is not a winning style of hockey in the long-run.

"We're on a plane to Dallas if it wasn't for Stu."

Connor McDavid on Stuart Skinner's performance in Game 6.

Bobrovsky meanwhile, is preparing for the finals as the Panthers rest up and get healthy for their final push of the 2024 season. Bob was arguably outplayed by Igor Shesterkin in the Eastern Conference finals, but that really speaks to how well both goaltenders fared in that one as he was also excellent. That being said, Skinner is no Shesterkin, so it should be very interesting to see how the series plays out.

«We got a lot of very committed athletes in there that that work very, very hard and their nutrition is right, but I don't know that I've met somebody like Sergei."

Bobrovsky remains cool, calm and collected as we head to the Stanley Cup Final.

Source: HockeyFeed
P.K. Subban has bad news for Oilers fans