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When the Edmonton Oilers clinched a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it marked a welcome milestone for the 33-year-old Skinner – his first chance to play NHL postseason hockey.
Rather than speak of what the moment meant on an individual level, the veteran forward opted to look at it through a team lens.
“Being on a team with a good group of guys has been really enjoyable,” Skinner told NHLPA.com around his April 21 postseason debut.. “You don’t get here, to the playoffs, by yourself – to be a piece of the puzzle, part of a team that achieves the first part of its goal is a great feeling.”
Skinner felt similar emotions when he netted his first career NHL postseason goal on May 29.
The embrace of his teammates and the flashing red light sealed a moment nearly 15 years in the making for the forward – a milestone that was both personal and pivotal.
Skinner scored eight minutes into the first period of Game 5 of the Western Conference Final to give the Oilers a 3-0 lead over the Dallas Stars. An eventualA 6-3 victory for the Oilers punched their ticket to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
His initial reaction to the goal? Momentary uncertainty.
“There was a bit of a delayed reaction because I actually didn’t see it go in at first,” said Skinner. “But once I saw the ref signal the goal just a lot of excitement. It’s always exciting to score but when you can contribute in a big game everything’s amped up a bit.”
When forward Zach Hyman was injured on May 27 and ruled out for the rest of the playoffs, Skinner, who had skated in his first NHL postseason game on April 29 – notching an assist in the appearance, was brought into the fold.
The moment was a long time coming.
Originally drafted seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2010 NHL Draft, Skinner would play eight seasons in Carolina followed by six more with Buffalo before coming to the Oilers on a one-year deal that he inked last July.
Across his 15 seasons in the NHL, Skinner has notched 699 points and accumulated six 30-plus goal seasons, including a career-high 40 goals in the 2018-19 season with Buffalo.
It’s been more than just a numbers game for Skinner with the Oilers.
“We obviously have some high-end guys – some of the best in the world – who you can always learn something from. But for me, especially over the last month, I played a lot with Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. They are two amazing players, who have been in important games and gone on long runs, and I have learned so much from them as I have from the big boys.
“Something we built throughout the season is trust and confidence in one another. The longer you get to play hockey, the more trust builds. That has been nice to be part of this year, to feel as though you fit when you are chasing that ultimate team goal.”
Skinner found himself in student-of-the-game mode over the Oilers’ last dozen or so regular-season contests.
“There are a lot of guys on this team who have [playoff] experience, and I have learned a lot by bouncing things off them – more just by watching how they conduct themselves, coming down the stretch, the different things they do in terms of how they approach that time.
“I was just looking forward to everything, the way everything gets turned up a notch now that we are playing playoff hockey.”
Edmonton is quite familiar with their first-round opponent. The Oilers have played the Los Angeles Kings in the First Round for the fourth time in as many years, with Edmonton winning the previous three matchups.
Last season's edition of the Oilers endured the heartbreak of a seven-game loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Skinner sees a motivated group ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, which will start at Rogers Place in Edmonton on June 4.
“Everyone is dialed in, and you can get a lot out of being around that.
“Having gone through what they did last year, you see how players who have experienced the highs and lows of playoff hockey deal with those emotions and how they are motivated by that.”
So too is Skinner, who is doing whatever it takes as the Oilers chase Stanley Cup glory.
“It feels great. Of course, all the other guys have been battling for a while and as a player you try and stay ready in case you get an opportunity. So, to be able to step in and help contribute is a great feeling.”
He is leaning on a long-held approach by players competing in the playoffs.
“Guys have said it before, but it is always the little things within the flow of a game that end up being a moment or moments that can determine whether you win or lose. Everyone is stepping up their own game, making those hard plays that are so important, especially at this point in the season.”
The type of season that Jeff Skinner no longer has to dream about.
