Oilers somehow already find themselves in a goaltending mess

You'd think it would be tough to find yourself in a goaltending crisis heading into your third game of an NHL season, but the Edmonton Oilers are doing their best to defy the odds as they approach their battle with the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

In 2022-23, the Oilers seemed to have their crease sorted with rookie Stuart Skinner claiming the starting job, earning a three-year contract extension and looking like a prototypical "local boy makes good" story.

After Skinner disappointed in the playoffs to the tune of an .883 save percentage and Jack Campbell had a strong training camp, suddenly the veteran on the five-year, $25-million contract was back in the driver's seat.

Campbell started the 2023 season opener, only to be replaced by Skinner in the second period. After two games, the pair has combined for a -7.5 GSAA.

That accounts for most of Edmonton's goals-against total (12), which makes sense considering each netminder has allowed exactly a quarter of shots on net to reach the twine.

Skinner was well above average last season, and the same could be said for Campbell as recently as 2021-22, but this is a bit of a mess.

That's particularly tough to stomach for Edmonton, because the Oilers have played fairly well in front of the duo in their first two games, even if the scoreboard doesn't reflect it.

In 89:05 of 5-on-5 time this season, the Oilers have had 56.76% of the shots, 61.20% of the expected goals, and 68.42% of the high-danger chances. They've been outscored 8-1.

Those type of hard-luck stretches happen for plenty of teams, but it's especially painful for an Oilers squad that has continually had difficulty between the pipes in the Connor McDavid era. Since McDavid entered the league in 2015-16, Edmonton's team save percentage has been above league average just three times — and never by more than .005.

Skinner's emergence last season gave some hope for a long-term solution after Campbell fell flat in his first year with the club. Entering 2023-24, it would've been fair for an optimist to like Skinner to build on his rookie season while his veteran counterpart enjoyed some positive regression. You could've squinted and seen an above-average tandem in Edmonton.

While that's still on the table, it's tough to see it as the most likely outcome for the Oilers right now.

This team has gotten used to overcoming some dubious goaltending to put together solid seasons — and having the best player in the NHL, plus the most dangerous power play the league has ever seen, is a helpful counterbalance.

Even so, this is an Oilers team that entered the season among the top tier of Stanley Cup contenders. It's tough to maintain that status without solid work in net.

It's possible Skinner performs like he did during the 2022-23 playoffs, while Campbell looks like he did in the regular season. Under that nightmare scenario, the Oilers' chances of making a deep run would plummet.

No two regular-season games are going to provide perfect insight into a team or determine its ultimate fate. But the Oilers' opening contests could not have done more to reinforce the notion that goaltending will be an issue for them this season.