Oilers’ Stuart Skinner has high praise for Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky ahead of Cup Final

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner had two thoughts when asked about going up against an “older goalie” in the Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky for a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.

First, Bobrovsky is “young” at 36 years old, said Skinner, who at 26 is 10 years Bobrovsky’s junior.

Second, the experience of going toe-to-toe with a surefire Hall of Famer over the course of a seven-game Cup Final series was “amazing.”

“He’s one of the best goalies in the world,” Skinner said. “He’s impressive. He skates well. Technically, I don’t think there’s much wrong with him in my perspective. He’s exceptional.”

But perhaps what stood out most to Skinner about Bobrovsky came after the series ended when the two shared a moment in the postgame handshake line following Florida’s 2-1, Cup-clinching Game 7 victory.

“I remember in the lineup last year, just how kind he was to somebody who just lost,” Skinner said. “Nothing but love to him.”

The two will be back at it at 8 p.m. Wednesday from Edmonton’s Rogers Place when puck drops on Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Bobrovsky has once again been his consistent self in the playoffs, posting a 2.11 goals-against average and .912 save percentage through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He has three shutouts in 17 games — one in each round — and has held opponents to two goals or fewer in 11 of those 17 games. His 6.04 goals save above average according to Natural Stat Trick are the most among all goals this postseason.

Skinner, meanwhile, had his share of rough outings to start the postseason. He was benched after getting shelled through the first two games of Edmonton’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings and didn’t get back in the net until Game 3 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights. He struggled in that game, too, before rounding into form. He posted back-to-back shutouts in Games 4 and 5 against Vegas to wrap up that series and then rebounded from a poor Game 1 in the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars to backstop the Oilers back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Now, Skinner, just like the Oilers as a whole, is looking for a chance at redemption after coming so close to winning it all last year but falling just short.

“If I’m gonna be completely honest here, I thought I had put it away quick,” Skinner said, “but definitely internally, there was something buried. That’s kind of the easy way to do it. Instead of thinking about it, trying to process it, I kind of stuffed it down of it. It kind of bit me in the butt halfway through my summer last year, and then I was able to kind of look back at it and process it. Obviously didn’t want it to eat at me more going into the season. Human nature.”

Safe to say he’s ready for Wednesday.

“We keep on moving forward,” Skinner said. “We lose the Cup last year, and we’re back here again being able to get that opportunity. That’s nothing but just complete, complete excitement.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 3:57 PM.

Jordan McPherson

Miami Herald

305-376-2129

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.