Pickard to backstop Oilers after advancing to 2nd round over Los Angeles Kings

Donna Spencer · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 02, 2025 1:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Calvin Pickard, the lone goalie with a 4-0 record, was among the surprises emerging from the archetypal circular of NHL playoffs.

Light connected erstwhile playoff experience, the 33-year-old from Moncton, N.B., drew successful for Stuart Skinner erstwhile the Edmonton Oilers were down 2-0 successful their bid with the Los Angeles Kings.

Pickard and the Oilers won 4 successful a row, including a 6-4 determination astatine location Thursday to adjacent retired the best-of-seven bid successful Game 6.

WATCH | Oilers footwear retired Kings for 4th twelvemonth successful a row:  

"It means a lot," Pickard said. "Coming successful Game 3, you don't privation to pursuit results. You conscionable privation to spell retired and bash your job."

"My occupation is conscionable to deed the shot back, marque the saves erstwhile I tin and I did that for the backmost fractional of the game. We person the quality to people a batch of goals and we enactment a batch successful tonight, truthful my occupation is to fto [in] 1 little than the different guy."

It was a high-scoring bid with Edmonton outgunning Los Angeles 27-24.

"We played truly good each 4 games," Pickard said. "I don't cognize however galore goals we scored successful the 4 games I played, but I conscionable had to support it retired astatine the close times."

Pickard's goals-against mean was 2.93 and his prevention percent .893.

He repelled L.A.'s Warren Foegele connected a breakaway successful the archetypal infinitesimal of Thursday's 2nd play erstwhile the hosts led 3-2.

"Picks gave america a accidental each night," said Oilers skipper Connor McDavid.

Pickard replaced Skinner for a brace of games successful past year's second-round bid against the Vancouver Canucks.

He went 1-1 successful the archetypal playoff starts of his vocation earlier Skinner retook Edmonton's net.

"I was ne'er doubtful to propulsion him successful due to the fact that we benignant of ripped the Band-Aid disconnected past year," Oilers caput manager Kris Knoblauch said. "Put him successful a precise stressful, astir a must-win crippled against Vancouver and helium responded tremendously and gave america a batch of confidence."

"This year, it was a batch easier to springiness him the net."

Pickard's vocation was connected a downward trajectory aft playing 50 games for the Colorado Avalanche successful 2016-17.

He struggled to regain a foothold successful the NHL. Pickard started conscionable 19 games implicit the adjacent six seasons for Toronto, Philadelphia, Arizona and Detroit, but spent the bulk of those years successful the minors.

When helium signed with the Oilers successful 2022, helium spent that play with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors.

"I ne'er stopped believing successful myself," Pickard said. "If you're not believing successful yourself, you're not going to beryllium successful."

Pickard got into 23 games with the Oilers successful 2023-24, but his 31 starts this play were the astir since his past play with Colorado.

His grounds was 22-10-1 with a .900 prevention percent and a goals-against mean of 2.71.

Pickard started 8 of Edmonton's last 11 games of the regular play for a 5-3 grounds aft Skinner was concussed March 26.

"Played a small spot much than expected astir apt astatine the commencement of the year," Pickard said.

"It was bully to get into a bushed toward the extremity of the play determination with Skins's injury. I was playing truly bully hockey. It was astir apt my champion hockey of the twelvemonth heading into playoffs.

"I was acceptable if called upon and I was called upon beauteous early. I conscionable privation to support it going."