Oilers confident in first-round series with Pickard as starting goalie

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 6:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Twelve seasons into his NHL tenure, Calvin Pickard is playing immoderate of the biggest games of his career.

The 33-year-old Edmonton Oilers goalie started the playoffs connected the bench, backing up starter Stuart Skinner. But erstwhile Edmonton stumbled done 2 losses to unfastened their best-of-seven bid against the L.A. Kings, Pickard was elevated to the No. 1 job.

He went connected to backstop the Oilers to 3 consecutive wins, including a 3-1 triumph successful Game 5 connected Tuesday.

"It feels bully getting your sanction called early," said Pickard, who stopped 21 shots arsenic Edmonton improved to 3-2 successful the first-round matchup.

"I conscionable privation to spell retired and bash my job. I've been saying it each year. And playing down our team, it's a blessing for me. And I conscionable privation to support continuing to bash what I tin bash to assistance the squad win."

Pickard present has a 3-0 grounds with a .904 prevention percent and 2.62 goals-against mean this post-season.

The six-foot-one, 206-pound netminder from Moncton, N.B., besides made 36 regular-season appearances, posting a 22-10-1 grounds with a .900 prevention percent and a 2.71 goals-against average.

It was the astir games helium had played since the 2016-17 run erstwhile Pickard was a subordinate of the Colorado Avalanche, the squad that selected him successful the 2nd circular of the 2010 draft.

"He's played a batch of hockey this year. We've played good successful beforehand of him," said Edmonton winger Zach Hyman. "Picks is making each prevention helium needs to make. As a player, that gives you assurance that if you spell retired and bash your job, everything is going to enactment out."

Skinner, 26, was the Oilers' starter for overmuch of the regular play and enactment up a 26-18-4 grounds with a .896 prevention percentage, a 2.81 goals-against mean and 3 shutouts.

He struggled aboriginal successful the playoffs, though, giving up 11 goals connected 58 shots crossed the archetypal 2 games.

This is the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment Pickard has assumed the starter's nett midway done a post-season series.

Head manager Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner with Pickard for 2 games during Edmonton's second-round matchup against the Vancouver Canucks past year, and Edmonton went connected to triumph successful 7 games.

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The Oilers returned to Skinner aboriginal successful the 2nd circular and stuck with him arsenic they powered done to the Stanley Cup final, yet losing to the Florida Panthers successful a seven-game set.

"I conscionable deliberation we've been fortunate. We person 2 bully goalies, we consciousness assured successful either one," Knoblauch said. "And we tin enactment either 1 successful the nett and consciousness similar we tin triumph that night."

For Pickard, the quality this twelvemonth is timing.

Instead of going done the full archetypal circular arsenic the backup, the seasoned netminder was pressed into enactment conscionable 9 days aft his past regular-season game.

"Towards the extremity of the regular season, I got a decent magnitude of games to consciousness ready. Last year, I was disconnected for rather a portion earlier I stepped successful against Vancouver," helium said. "But I felt acceptable to spell for Game 3."

"I cognize I've conscionable got to spell retired and bash my job, and we've been playing good since I've been successful there. It's been good."

Knoblauch has agelong said the Oilers volition request some goalies for a agelong playoff run, and Pickard's mindset means he's ever anxious to play.

"He's a gamer. He's ready. He likes the pressure," the manager said. "And a batch of recognition to him due to the fact that there's been agelong stretches wherever helium has not played and we've enactment him successful the nett and said 'We request a large crippled from you."'

The Oilers volition person a accidental to adjacent retired the bid Thursday erstwhile they big the Kings for Game 6.