Edmonton Oilers tap Calvin Pickard for Game 3 start against L.A. Kings

Field Level Media

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 3:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Trailing successful a Stanley Cup playoff bid is thing caller to the Edmonton Oilers.

Last twelvemonth alone, the Oilers overcame 2-1 and 3-2 deficits against the Vancouver Canucks, arsenic good arsenic a 2-1 shortage to the Dallas Stars.

But arsenic the Oilers hole to play big to the Los Angeles Kings connected Friday, they cognize Game 3 is paramount successful their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series.

Edmonton is down 2-0 successful the bid and has surrendered six goals successful each loss, with No. 1 netminder Stuart Skinner nether the microscope due to the fact that of it.

That prompted a alteration arsenic the Oilers are present turning to Calvin Pickard successful the crease.

Pickard relieved Skinner midway into the 3rd play of Wednesday's 6-2 nonaccomplishment to the Kings. He allowed 1 extremity connected 3 shots.

WATCH | Playoff hockey returns to Edmonton: 

The journeyman goaltender was asked connected Friday day however helium plans to attack Game 3.

"The aforesaid mode I've approached each crippled arsenic an Oiler, spell retired and bash my occupation and springiness our squad a accidental to win," Pickard said.

"Obviously the past 2 games didn't spell arsenic planned successful each facets, but we cognize we person a amended effort successful this locker country and we cognize we're going to bash that tonight."

Pickard went 22-10-1 for Edmonton this season. He made his NHL playoff debut past season.

Defenceman Darnell Nurse noted that it wasn't each Skinner's fault.

"We've been hanging our goalie retired to adust connected rather a fewer occasions," Nurse said.

"I deliberation he's really made immoderate immense stops for america successful a timely manner, too, truthful we got to beryllium better."

WATCH | Is the Oilers and Kings matchup a rivalry nary 1 wanted, oregon much than that?: 

Then again, five-on-five antiaircraft play is lone 1 portion of the equation for the Oilers.

Their peculiar teams show has been abysmal. While Edmonton's powerfulness play has been blanked connected 5 chances, the Kings person racked up 5 goals connected 10 man-advantage opportunities.

"If we person to person an accidental to crook this happening around, it's peculiar teams," manager Kris Knoblauch said.

"But you look astatine the goals against, determination are definite things that we tin bash better. Not that we person to alteration our system, but we conscionable request to elevate our play, mostly erstwhile we're connected the kill."

Teams that person taken a 2-0 bid pb successful best-of-seven bid person won 86 per cent of the time.

To flooded the odds, the Oilers indispensable beryllium importantly amended than they person been frankincense far.

"We got a hunger to triumph arsenic well, but we got to ramp it up," guardant Leon Draisaitl said. "We got to excavation in. We got to commencement playing here. Obviously, it hasn't been bully enough."

The Kings, who had the league's champion location grounds successful the regular season, present indispensable find the look to instrumentality their amusement connected the road. Los Angeles had a losing people distant from its rink, but the Kings surely bash not deficiency for assurance close now, particularly with their special-teams play astatine specified a precocious level.

"We talked astir it earlier the bid began," manager Jim Hiller said of the peculiar teams battle.

"I'll conscionable spell backmost 1 year. Their powerfulness play is truly bully and we didn't people a power-play extremity past twelvemonth successful the bid [a 4-1 first-round loss], and that was a large difference. That intelligibly was going to person to beryllium an accent for america this year."

It helps the Kings person shown scoring depth, with not conscionable their cardinal players making an impact. While Adrian Kempe has already netted 3 goals and 4 assists, skipper Anze Kopitar has 1 extremity and 5 points and Kevin Fiala has netted 1 extremity and 2 assists.

WATCH | Penalties beryllium excessively costly for Oilers successful Game 2: 

But the 2nd question has been important. Andrei Kuzmenko, a trade-deadline pickup, has ignited the powerfulness play and posted 2 goals and 3 assists, portion Quinton Byfield and Phil Danault person some tallied twice.

As a team, they besides kept skipper Connor McDavid disconnected the scoresheet successful Game 2 aft helium had a four-point show successful the opener. Draisaitl has scored erstwhile successful each game, but helium has been held comparatively successful cheque successful presumption of scoring chances.

"They're the champion players successful the world. They're truthful dynamic, you cognize you've got to respect them but you can't respect them excessively much," guardant Warren Foegele said.

"It's an accidental for america to spell against them and they're evidently going to marque plays due to the fact that they're truthful good, but you effort to bounds them arsenic overmuch arsenic we can."