How Did the Jets' Stuart Skinner Anger the Hockey Gods?

It’s not much fun being a goalie when your team keeps losing. You can make the saves, keep the score respectable, and give your teammates a chance to get back into a game. Then the final horn sounds, and you’re still looking at another loss.

That’s where Stuart Skinner finds himself with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets lost 2-1 to the Montreal Canadiens in Sunday's Heritage Classic, but Skinner stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced. It wasn't a spectacular workload, but he did his part in a close game. And lately, he's been doing that without getting much reward for it.

Skinner’s Results Don't Tell the Whole Story.

Skinner has now gone four straight games without a win, going 0-2-2 while allowing 10 goals on 115 shots. His overall record stands at 3-2-3, with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage through eight starts.

Those numbers suggest a goalie who is giving Winnipeg a reasonable chance to compete. They don't suggest everything is going perfectly, and no goalie gets a free pass when the team is struggling. But there's a difference between a goalie who is part of the problem and one who is trying to keep the problem from getting worse.

Against Montreal, Skinner allowed two goals in a game the Jets lost by one. Sometimes, that's simply how hockey goes. A goalie can do enough to win and still walk away with nothing to show for it.

A Goalie Can't Do It Alone.

It's easy to look at a losing streak and start questioning the goaltending. That's part of the job, of course. But the other 18 skaters have responsibilities, too.

Winnipeg needs to give Skinner more support, whether that means finding a little more offence, limiting dangerous chances against, or making sure a strong goaltending performance isn't wasted. A goalie can keep a team in a game, but he can't score the winning goal from the crease.

Skinner's experience should help him deal with the frustration. He knows the season is long, and four winless games don't define a goalie any more than four wins would prove he's unbeatable.

The Jets Need to Give Skinner a Chance to Keep Building.

The encouraging thing for Winnipeg is that Skinner's recent performances have kept games within reach. The next step is for the team in front of him to turn those efforts into wins. Nobody is suggesting the Jets should be satisfied with losing close games. They shouldn't be. But it's worth recognizing when a player is doing his job, even when the standings don't reward him.

Skinner can't win every game for Winnipeg. He shouldn't have to. The Jets need to meet him halfway.