Jeff Skinner scores dazzling goal against Seattle Kraken

Jeff Skinner has been in the hot-seat as of late, being healthy scratched against the Anaheim Ducks earlier this week and spending most of his time in the bottom 6.

After making his way back into the starting rotation, Skinner has come into tonight's matchup with a chip on his shoulder, eager to prove to head coach Knoblauch that he belongs on the team.

While Skinner has been struggling to gain traction this season, he sure turned heads in the first period on a great offensive effort.

At 5:18 in the1st period, Jeff Skinner found himself all alone in front of the Kraken net following a slick pass from Kasperi Kapanen.

After some beautiful stick handling, Skinner patiently waited for his opportunity to bury it home for the Oilers 2nd goal of the night.

The problem is that as offensively gifted as Skinner is, he struggles defensively, which makes him a difficult option to trust and could be why Knoblauch hasn't utilized him. His plus/minus of minus-11 is the worst on the team, with Ryan and Kapanen's minus-6 being the closest.

While Skinner still needs to work on the game's finer details, he's responding to Knoblauch's challenges a massive way.

Although he still remains in the trade rumour mill, strong offensive performances could be his saving grace leading up to the trade deadline.