In wars as in love, anything goes. And Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final is among that category as the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers go to battle. The action on the ice might only last 60 minutes, but the mind games in the NHL extend far beyond that. Stuart Skinner has clearly learned that lesson.
After enduring torment from Panthers backup goaltender Vitek Vanecek throughout the series, the pregame shenanigans continued prior to puck drop in Game 6.
Vanecek may not be on the ice to help his Panthers teammates throughout the game, but he’s contributing his grain of sand during warmups. As he has done throughout the Stanley Cup Final, he rattled Skinner and threw him off his game during his pregame routine.
Apparently, it paid dividends for the Cats, and early in Game 6. Following a neutral-zone takeaway, Sam Reinhart danced around Mattias Ekholm before opening the scoring with a filthy goal. It was Florida’s first shot on goal after a good start by the Oiler. The Panthers struck first, and Skinner couldn’t do anything to save his teammates’ turnover.
Just a bit of banter
While the Oilers fanbase might take exception of Vanecek’s antics before the game, Skinner understood where it came from and didn’t put too much thought into it.
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“I actually went up to [Vanecek]. I was like, ‘You certainly got me,’ but it’s all just fun and games,” Skinner admitted about Vanecek’s mind games, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “He was laughing with me. I was laughing at him. Just a way for them to try to get my head. Everyone’s trying to chirp. You know, it’s hockey.”
