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A Bit of Gamesmanship Between Two of the Best Players in this Series: Porter Martone and Stuart Skinner
By Matt Schultz
Published:
Porter Martone has two goals in the first two games of the Penguins series. He’s 19 years old. He’s the sixth youngest player in NHL history to score a goal in each of his first two career playoff games. He played only nine career NHL games before these playoffs. A month ago, he wasn’t even on the team.
Flyers fans have every reason to be pumped about this kid. Stuart Skinner, on the other hand, does not. It looks like the Penguins goaltender is getting fed up with this guy:
Honestly, I can’t blame Skinner for tripping Porter here. Skinner’s 27, an NHL veteran, and he simply got annoyed by a cool teen. We’ve all been there. I know I have. Every day around 6 p.m. at Planet Fitness, when flocks of 5’7 teens in identical broccoli haircuts* and matching gold chains aimlessly stand around the cable machines in packs of eight to fourteen – without any awareness that they’re in everyone’s way, and that they should hurry their workout along so other people can exercise, too – I’d like to respond the exact way Skinner does. There’s just something about the teens. They’re extremely irritating.
But in this case, Flyers fans can rejoice, because Porter is our cool teen, and he’s playing incredible hockey. And honestly, Skinner is too – he’s been Pittsburgh’s best player. This two-on-zero save Monday night was admittedly excellent:
Hats off to both of these guys (I am being sportsmanlike because we’re up two games). Here’s to hoping Porter can continue vexing Skinner in game three.
*Kinkead: it’s the worst, they look like they all came out of a cloning vat
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…)