When Calvin Pickard went down in Game 2 of the Western Conference second round against the Vegas Golden Knights, many assumed the Edmonton Oilers’ hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup Final had vanished.
Pickard had stepped in for struggling starter Stuart Skinner during Game 3 of the first round against Los Angeles, providing steady—though unspectacular—goaltending. But Skinner responded to his benching with renewed determination, going 2-1 with two shutouts, including a 24-save effort in Edmonton’s 1-0 series-clinching victory at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.
“He came through for us the last two games,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “Tonight, especially in the third period, we really needed him—and he not only made the saves, but looked poised doing it. If anyone deserved a confidence boost and some recognition, it was him.”
The Oilers have now won eight of their last nine games and are back in the Western Conference Final for the third time in four years. They’ve also gotten revenge on Vegas, who eliminated them in the second round in 2023.
Looking Dangerous
The recurring frustration with the Oilers has been that if their defense and goaltending ever matched the firepower of their elite forwards, their potential would be sky-high.
Take 2022, for instance — Edmonton reached the Western Conference Final with Mike Smith posting a 3.37 goals-against average in the playoffs. And just last year, the Oilers pushed the Stanley Cup Final to Game 7 despite Stuart Skinner’s underwhelming .901 save percentage, a .522 quality start rate, and a minus-1.5 goals-saved above average over 23 games.
This year, Calvin Pickard showed that Edmonton doesn’t need spectacular goaltending to succeed. Despite his perfect 6-0 record, Pickard ranks just 12th in goals-against average (2.84) and 13th in save percentage (.888) among postseason-eligible goalies. His minus-2.0 goals-saved above average suggests he’s let in two more goals than an average goalie would.
Still, Pickard brought stability early on — something Skinner struggled to do in the first two games against the Kings. Skinner gave up 11 goals on 58 shots in those matchups and was pulled after surrendering five goals on 28 shots in a 6-2 loss in Game 2.
“The playoffs obviously didn’t begin the way he wanted,” head coach Kris Knoblauch noted.
But Skinner has since turned things around dramatically. He’s now riding a shutout streak of 127 minutes and 15 seconds, having stopped 47 consecutive shots. While he only faced two shots in overtime of Game 5, both were crucial saves that set up Kasperi Kapanen’s game-winning goal at 7:19 of the extra frame.
Keep It Up?
Beating Adin Hill is one thing, but Stuart Skinner—now expected to start Game 1 of the Western Conference Final—is likely to be seen as the weaker goaltender regardless of who Edmonton plays.
Dallas’s Jake Oettinger ranks fourth among playoff goalies in save percentage at .917, nearly identical to his .916 career playoff mark. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and is favored to win it again soon.
Despite that, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has confidence in Skinner.
“We knew we were going to need him,” Knoblauch said. “We went with \[Pickard] for a bit, but when \[Skinner] got his chance, he stepped up and played really well.”
