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Stuart Skinner may not be Oilers starting goalie to begin playoffs
Photo credit: Imagn Images
The Edmonton Oilers are currently a heavily depleted team with injuries just 4 games away from the playoffs, and backup goalie Calvin Pickard has stepped up to potentially earn a Game 1 start.
Stuart Skinner has struggled this season, pasting below average statistics across the board and especially against top 10 teams. With his injury timeline still unclear, perhaps Pickard is the one in net for the Oilers in Game 1.
Could Calvin Pickard earn a Game 1 start in the playoffs for the Edmonton Oilers?
Since Skinner went down with a head injury against the Dallas Stars on March 26th, Pickard has stepped up. The backup has posted a record of 4-2, with a few standout performances - but Skinner is expected back on Friday.
Especially late in games, Calvin Pickard has been able to lock down the most chaotic moments for the Oilers and score wins. It's an area that Skinner has struggled with.
If considering Pickard for the playoffs, it's considerable to remember that the Oilers turned to Pickard against the Canucks last playoffs, and Coach Knoblauch said the veteran backup looked like he had played 100 playoff games already.
On the season, Pickard's numbers are even beginning to look flat-out better than Skinner over a significant sample size. Skinner has an .894 save percentage in 49 games, while Pickard has a .901 in 34 games.
Stuart Skinner is still the team's default starter at this point, and if he's healthy to play in Game 1, he will most likely get the start.
However, if it goes poorly at all, the Oilers making a fast switch to Pickard would be the smart decision. Several analysts at OilersNation believe Pickard could be a playoff starter, maybe even in Game 1.
The Oilers goaltending will be their biggest question mark heading into the playoffs.
If the rest of their team is healthy, and the goalie can keep up, Edmonton has a great chance to make it back to the Cup Final and get a better result this time.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 10 | 610 ANSWERS Stuart Skinner may not be Oilers starting goalie to begin playoffs Which goalie will the Oilers start in Game 1 of the playoffs? | ||
| Calvin Pickard | 443 | 72.6 % |
| Stuart Skinner | 167 | 27.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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