Stuart Skinner's Costly Late-Game Moment Leaves Oilers Stunned vs. Flames

The Edmonton Oilers came into the 2025-26 season cool and calm, perhaps too cool and calm. Off back-to-back Stanley Cup Final disappointments, the team was meant to be calm as it approached opening night against the Calgary Flames.

But after leading 3-0, cool became complacent, and they witnessed another getaway game in a 4-3 shootout defeat.

Once again, the message was "one game at a time," but the old sin of not playing 60 minutes was hard to break. Goaltender Stuart Skinner was to blame for the collapse, though head coach Kris Knoblauch identified costly turnovers as the culprit.

There were positives immediately. Connor McDavid picked out Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for the opening goal on a man advantage, then picked out Andrew Mangiapane's top-shelf finish to make it 2-0.

Draisaitl added another, his 400th career marker, off a slick feed from rookie David Tomasek to make it 3-0.

The energy then switched. Calgary scored the first on a deflection, and then cashed in on a questionable high-stick goal to make it a one-goal game. In the third, Skinner embarrassingly fumbled a dump-in, and Blake Coleman tied the game.

After overtime with no scoring, Nazem Kadri iced it in the eighth round of the shootout.

It's but one game in October, but it's the type of game the Oilers can't afford to squander, not after everything that the last two years have already taught them.

For a team looking for unfinished business, all leads must be guarded like it's June, and once again, costly goaltending is front and center.