‘We need more saves’: Skinner pulled in Oilers loss
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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
The decision to pull goaltender Stuart Skinner after the second period of a 4-3 loss Sunday to the Vancouver Canucks has left the Edmonton Oilers facing questions about their goaltending for a second straight postseason.
Skinner, who has started every game during these playoffs, was replaced by Calvin Pickard to begin the third period. Skinner was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots in a Game 3 that saw the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
“Yes, we need more saves,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Tonight, obviously, I felt like that with Picks going in the third period but defense along with goaltending is very important to winning hockey games. Especially in the long term. Yeah, it’s got to be better.”
Knoblauch when asked about how Skinner was responding to the pressure of this postseason, said that Game 3 was a performance that he would like to have back.
“We’ll see what he’s got in the future,” Knoblauch said. “Whether that’s Game 4 or Game 5 or whatever it is. We’ll be seeing Stu again and have no doubt he’ll respond and play well.”
As a rookie last season, Skinner emerged as the No. 1 goaltender for his hometown team by winning 29 games and finishing with a .914 save percentage. His postseason wasn’t quite as smooth. He finished 5-6 with a 3.68 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage.
Skinner was pulled four times during the Oilers’ 12 playoff games with three of those early exits coming in a second-round series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.
Following a rocky start, the Oilers moved on from coach Jay Woodcroft and hired Knoblauch. His hiring led to a resurgence with Skinner being one of the primarily beneficiaries. He would win 36 games while posting a 2.62 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 57 starts.
The Oilers advanced to the second round by beating the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for a third straight season. Skinner finished with a 2.57 goals-against average in an opening-round series that saw him do everything from record a shutout in Game 4 to allowing four goals in consecutive games to open the series.
Even with the Canucks averaging 19 shots per game against the Oilers, they have scored more than three goals in each contest. It’s left Skinner with a 4.63 goals-against average and a .790 save percentage after Game 3.
Knoblauch not committing to a Game 4 starter in his post-game remarks leaves questions about who could get the net as the Oilers attempt to even the series when it resumes Tuesday.
Pickard, who went 12-7-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in the regular season, hadn’t appeared in a postseason game until Sunday. He finished three saves in the third period.
There’s also Jack Campbell.
Campbell joined the Oilers in free agency before the 2022-23 season on a five-year deal worth $5 million annually. He struggled to find consistency during his first campaign which led to him backing up Skinner in the second half of the season and in the playoffs. While Campbell stopped 49 of the 51 shots he faced in relief of Skinner last postseason, he never started for the Oilers.
This season saw Campbell begin 1-4 with a 4.50 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage. It led to the Oilers promoting Pickard from their AHL affiliate with Campbell going the other way. Campbell went 18-13-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .918 for the Bakersfield Condors in the regular season but only had one postseason performance, a game that saw him allow five goals on 35 shots.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Ball State fired coach Mike Neu, the school announced Saturday. The Cardinals are 3-7.
Neu was 40-63 in nine seasons at Ball State. Neu led the Cardinals to the MAC title in 2020, which was his only winning season at Ball State.
Sources told ESPN that the staff was informed of Neu’s dismissal early Saturday.
Offensive line coach Colin Johnson will serve as the interim head coach for the last two games, athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. Ball State hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 23 then plays at Ohio on Nov. 29.
Neu, 53, is a beloved alum with a strong campus reputation, but the lack of results ultimately led to his dismissal. Ball State lost 51-48 in overtime at Buffalo this week and fell to 2-4 in MAC play.
That clinched a fourth consecutive losing season for Ball State.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program,” Mitchell said in the statement. “I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits.”
Neu led Ball State to two bowl games. That included a win over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl to conclude the 2020 season, when Ball State finished 7-1 and won its first MAC title since 1996.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein will not play against No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, with redshirt junior Nate Yarnell getting the start for the Panthers.
Holstein hadn’t been cleared medically, sources said, and was considered a game-time decision by coach Pat Narduzzi after leaving two of Pitt’s past three games following apparent head injuries. Holstein took part in warmups Saturday.
Yarnell, who lost a camp battle to Holstein, will make his first start this season and fourth in his career for the Panthers. He has a 2-1 record as a starter, with wins over Western Michigan (2022) and Boston College (2023) and a loss to Duke (2023).
Yarnell has a strong amount of experience for a backup, as he has thrown for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. That includes a 65.3% completion percentage and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. This season, he has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions while playing in the past three games.
Holstein has been a revelatory player for the Panthers under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, has thrown for 17 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Pittsburgh has the country’s No. 16 scoring offense at 36.7 points per game. That’s up from No. 114 last season, when it averaged 20.2 points.
Holstein has completed 61.9% of his passes and thrown for 2,174 yards.
Indiana has agreed to a contract extension with Curt Cignetti amid the Hoosiers’ unprecedented 10-0 start, the school announced Saturday.
Cignetti’s new eight-year contract runs through the 2032 season and will pay him an average of $8 million per year with an annual $1 million retention bonus, putting the total value of the new contract at $72 million.
“I am beyond appreciative for the tremendous commitment, confidence, and support from President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson,” Cignetti said in a statement. “Manette [his wife] and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”
Cignetti originally received a six-year, $27 million contract when he was hired in December. He took the Indiana job after leading James Madison to an 11-1 season in 2023 — when he made $677,311 — with the goal of changing the Hoosiers’ historically woeful image in football.
He then led Indiana to the first 10-win season in school history and a possible push for the College Football Playoff. No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) has one more win than its combined total over the previous three seasons. Its No. 5 ranking is one spot shy of the team’s highest ever, last reached in 1967, also the last time the Hoosiers won or shared a Big Ten title.
Indiana has scored at least 40 points seven times, won nine times by 14 or more points and trailed only twice briefly all season.
“We were confident IU could become a winning program and we love what he’s building here,” Dolson said in a statement. “We love the student-athletes that he’s bringing here. We love how our fanbase has rallied around this team and made Memorial Stadium the place to be on Saturday afternoons. And now, we love the fact that he’s going to be doing all those things right here in Bloomington for a long, long time.”
A source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Indiana will also significantly increase the pool for Cignetti’s assistants and staff.
The Hoosiers are on a bye this week before a pivotal matchup with No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday that could determine Indiana’s playoff hopes and a potential spot in the Big Ten championship game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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