The Edmonton Oilers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals, fueled by two consecutive shutout performances from goaltender Stuart Skinner. Across the league, the Florida Panthers are on the verge of eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs, following significant contributions from Aaron Ekblad and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Skinner`s playoff start was challenging; he was replaced by Calvin Pickard after struggling in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. Pickard then led the Oilers to five straight wins in the postseason. However, an injury to Pickard in Game 2 against the Golden Knights gave Skinner a second opportunity, which he has fully capitalized on.
In a critical Game 5, Skinner stopped all 24 shots he faced, recording his second consecutive shutout. His impenetrable goaltending kept the Oilers in the game until Kasperi Kapanen netted the overtime winner.
In Toronto, the Panthers delivered a dominant 6-1 victory over the Maple Leafs. It was a comprehensive dismantling from start to finish, with two Panthers players particularly standing out: Ekblad, who excelled during tough five-on-five minutes, and Bobrovsky, who once again frustrated Toronto`s potent forward group.
Let`s recognize some of the top individual efforts from around the NHL playoffs on Wednesday with our selection for the 3 Stars of the Night.
Sergei Bobrovsky | G | Florida Panthers
Sergei Bobrovsky delivered another tremendous performance for the Florida Panthers, coming just 64 seconds shy of achieving back-to-back shutouts against the Maple Leafs. Despite allowing one late goal, he was exceptional, appearing even stronger than he did when leading Florida to the Stanley Cup Final last summer.
With the Panthers building a large lead, the Maple Leafs directed 32 shots at Bobrovsky, and he turned aside 31 of them. A highlight save came in the first period on Matthew Knies, where Bobrovsky stretched into a full split following a tricky bounce off the end boards. According to Natural Stat Trick, Bobrovsky finished the game with a .875 high-danger save percentage and 1.17 goals saved above average.
Aaron Ekblad | D | Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has navigated a tumultuous postseason, having served two separate suspensions in the first two rounds. Despite these setbacks, Ekblad has played effectively and was a major factor in Florida`s dominant Game 5 win over the Maple Leafs.
Late in the first period, Ekblad opened the scoring by ripping a snapshot over Anthony Stolarz`s shoulder. He also contributed an assist on Sam Bennett`s power-play goal in the third period. Perhaps most notably, Ekblad controlled play during his five-on-five minutes, many of which were spent competing against prominent Leafs forwards like William Nylander and John Tavares. Natural Stat Trick data shows Ekblad was plus-14 in shot attempts and plus-12 in scoring chances at five-on-five.
Stuart Skinner | G | Edmonton Oilers
While Kasperi Kapanen deserves credit for scoring the series-winning overtime goal, Stuart Skinner`s performance is arguably the biggest story. Skinner lost his starting position earlier in the playoffs due to poor play and only regained the net after Calvin Pickard suffered an injury. He has fully seized this second opportunity, propelling Edmonton to the Western Conference Final.
With 24 saves in Game 5, Skinner recorded back-to-back shutouts against the Golden Knights, sealing the series win for the Oilers. Although Edmonton`s defensive play limited high-danger shots (only two allowed in nearly 70 minutes on Wednesday), Skinner still registered 1.63 goals saved above average. The Oilers` defensive game has seen significant improvement, but Skinner`s personal turnaround, going from struggling to stopping everything and ending another Western Conference contender`s season, has been truly remarkable to witness.
Torin Vale 
Elton Marrow