'All-Star Stu' starts in goal, Kane is away as Oilers go for 7th straight victory

It's a great time to be an Edmonton Oiler.

The team is on a long winning streak, their schedule is relatively easy, three players are headed to the upcoming All-Star Game and the rest are soon to have more than a week off to relax.

"A lot of us guys are having a lot of fun with each other. Having fun on the ice, the way we're practicing. We're practicing hard, but we're also enjoying it," goalie Stuart Skinner said with a smile.

He'll get the start between the pipes Wednesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Place.

The Oilers are gunning for their seventh-straight victory. Columbus is dead last in the NHL.

Skinner, still a rookie in the league, was chosen as an all-star last week. He's the first Oiler goalie to go since Tommy Salo made the team in 2002 and just the fifth in team history.

"I was kinda just shocked. I didn't really expect it and then all the guys kinda came and hugged me. Very exciting moment. It's something you watch growing up and you always wanted to be there. It's pretty cool," he said on Friday.

Skinner, who also just became a father and signed a three-year contract worth $7.8 million, said he plans to "enjoy the ocean" for a few days during All-Star Weekend in Florida.

As for the winning streak, he credited the Oilers for not taking any vacations during the past six victories.

"I think we're playing really hard in our defensive zone. We're blocking shots, we're boxing out guys, we're definitely getting in the dirty areas, we're winning battles in the corners," Skinner said.

"I think that's a huge part in us getting back into the offensive zone and just not getting scored on, which is also a huge part of winning games."

Head coach Jay Woodcroft said when he first met Skinner he thought he had the skills and size to be a "really good NHL goaltender" but didn't necessarily assume he'd be an all-star.

"I think along his journey, he really grew in other parts of his game, specifically on the mental side, the ability to handle a big workload, an ability to go through early adulthood while shouldering the huge responsibility of being a starting goaltender in the American Hockey League," Woodcroft said.

He pointed out that moving up the ranks wasn't always easy for Skinner.

The Edmonton-born goalie was sent down to the ECHL for some games, but Woodcroft watched him get better and convince his teammates to believe in him.

"I think it comes down to experience. I think he's went about methodically trying to build his game each and every year and it's a credit to him," Woodcroft said.

Forward Evander Kane will miss the game Wednesday for "personal reasons." He is attending court in San Jose as part of his bankruptcy case, according to Jason Gregor with TSN 1260.

Woodcroft said they expected Kane to be away from the team during this time.

The Oilers (27-18-3) face off against the Blue Jackets (14-30-3) shortly after 7:30 p.m. MT.

The last game Edmonton has before the All-Star Game on Feb. 4 is on Saturday against Chicago. The Blackhawks are just one point ahead of Columbus in the standings, sitting 31st.

The Oilers will return from the break with a roadtrip to Detroit, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Montreal starting Feb. 7.