Stuart Skinner rising to the occasion for Edmonton Oilers after mid-playoff reset

Stuart Skinner had peeled off half of his equipment and was handed a headset.

The Edmonton Oilers goaltender answered questions during a television interview outside the team's locker room as fans situated in an adjacent dining area snapped pictures through a glass divider.

Occupying the crease for the NHL team in Alberta's capital probably feels like being in a fishbowl at times.

Skinner knows that roller-coaster well — and is currently riding a high in the Western Conference final.

The 26-year-old has backstopped the Oilers to a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven matchup following Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Despite the lopsided score, the visitors carried play for long stretches, especially in a second period when the ice was severely tilted. Skinner, however, held the fort and finished with 33 saves to even his playoff record at 4-4 with Game 4 set for Tuesday back at Rogers Place.

It's been, quite frankly, feast or famine for the Edmonton native this spring.

He lost the net to backup Calvin Pickard in the opening round after a couple of bad outings put Edmonton in a 2-0 hole against the Los Angeles Kings.

Pickard then ripped off six straight wins, but was hurt Game 2 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Skinner, who was also replaced by Pickard for a stretch in last year's playoffs before helping lead the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, headed back into the fray after that recent reset and has hardly looked back.

The 26-year-old allowed one goal through his first four wins of the playoffs, joining Ilya Bryzgalov (2006), Ed Belfour (2004), Patrick Lalime (2002) and Felix Potvin (1994) as the only netminders to accomplish that feat since 1944.

Oilers trounce Stars in Game