Stuart Skinner trolls Canucks fans ahead of Game 1

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner isn't concerned with hearing opposition fans boo him. In fact, he admits that he thrives on it. 

He can anticipate hearing some less than positive reception as he and the rest of his teammates take on the rival Vancouver Canucks in what will be their first postseason series since 1992, and he's looking forward to it. 

“When we play in Vancouver, you're gonna hear a lot of booing. Booing Skinner,” he said. “When L.A. was in here, (Cam) Talbot had 20,000 fans saying his name. Going into Vancouver, that's going to be a challenge for me.

“You're going to be hearing a lot of booing for our whole team in general, a lot of heckling Skinner, and … it's pretty cool,” he decided. “It's pretty cool that the fans are gonna have so much fun doing it.

“That means I'm doing what I've always wanted to do my whole life. It's going to be an absolute privilege to get heckled.”

Skinner played a key role in Edmonton's Round 1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, the third year in a row that they've dispatched them in order to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He's posted respectable numbers with a 4-1 record along with a 2.59 goals against average and .910 save percentage. 

He's likely never to get the flash of top goaltenders in the game today like Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilivskey, Thatcher Demko and Sergei Bobrovsky, but right now, he doesn't need to. He's shown he's capable of handing the starting responsibilities, and he's made the most of it so far. 

Can he continue helping the Oilers roll against the Canucks? We'll find out as the two rivals gather for Game 1 of the highly anticipated all-Canadian showdown starting on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver. 

“Canada versus Canada,” Skinner said with excitement “When you grow up in Canada, you watch all of those games growing up…

“I'm very excited, and very fortunate to be in this position. It's gonna be a lot of fun.”

Recommended articles:

• Connor McDavid hints at Oilers’ possible move during interview
• New plan surfaces for Jack Campbell in Edmonton
• Doubt surfaces on possible trade in Edmonton…
• Oilers destroy goalie trade options and rethink transaction!
• Oilers make a change in goal for first time in 7 games.