LOS ANGELES -- The most relieved player to see Kailer Yamamoto score the go-ahead goal for the Edmonton Oilers in the third period of Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday was Stuart Skinner.
That's because it was Skinner's gaffe that allowed the Los Angeles Kings to tie the game at Crypto.com Arena. During a power play at 7:46 of the third, Skinner had his stick break while attempting to play the puck in front of his net, allowing Phillip Danault a gift to tie it 4-4.
"I noticed when it actually broke, but when I got the puck, it didn't feel like it was anything different," Skinner said. "I felt like I was totally fine, and I tried to give him a nice, crisp pass and I just kind of snapped it on the bottom there. It was a free goal for [Danault], but that stuff happens. It's how you bounce back from that and how you respond to moments like that. I thought we did a great job of how we responded."
Yamamoto responded by scoring his first goal of the series at 16:57 for the Oilers, who held on for a 5-4 win to eliminate the Kings.
Yamamoto took a pass below the goal line and skated out above the left circle, where he snapped a shot through traffic short side on Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
"I was very excited, but I knew there was still a lot of time on the clock," Skinner said "There were three minutes and [three] seconds, and I know I had to get my mind right for those three minutes. It was a great goal, I'm very happy about it and it won us the game and won us the series, and now we're just moving forward from that."
Yamamoto had a goal and an assist in Game 6 after being held off the score sheet through the first five games of the series. His linemate Klim Kostin had two goals and an assist.
"I played with Klim the whole game and he was firing on all cylinders tonight," Yamamoto said. "I know once we were buzzing around in the O-zone something good was going to happen. It was a great net front, I think there were two or three bodies there, and I just shot it and thankfully it went in."
Despite the miscue, Skinner finished the game with 40 saves, including two down the stretch after Yamamoto scored. He is the second rookie goalie to earn a series-clinching win in Oilers history, joining Andy Moog (1981).
"In the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs here, in my first round, I feel like I've gone through quite a bit here," Skinner said. "I lose my first game in overtime (4-3 in Game 1), win a game (4-2 in Game 2), get pulled (in a 5-4 overtime win in Game 4), then am able to win a series. Breaking a stick and letting an easy goal go in, that's all part of life and the experience to learn, and I'm very grateful to learn those lessons."
Oilers captain Connor McDavid said it was a lesson the whole team learned from last season.
"It's funny, I was having flashbacks to Game 4 against Calgary last year (when Mike Smith gave up a short-handed goal from the opposite end of the ice)," he said. "It's good that we've been in that situation before where a weird one goes in where you feel you're doing a lot of good things. It kind of feels funny that the game is tied, you didn't really do anything wrong, but it was a tough break. Credit to 'Skins' to shut the door after. We weren't exactly solid in front of him coming down the stretch, but he gave us a chance to win. Then the little guy (Yamamoto) steps up here, and it's a credit to those guys."
Coach Jay Woodcroft agreed.
"I was proud of our team," Woodcroft said. "We are sure of ourselves and sure of what our opportunity is here, and we have an understanding that it's not always going to be smooth sailing. It's OK that there is some drama in the story."
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