Playoff time is upon us, and it’s time to take a look at which Edmonton Oilers goalie could get the start in Game 1, and why they deserve it. Today, I’ll be making a case for both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard and sharing some insight behind my reasoning.
On the topic of the postseason, the schedule was just announced yesterday for the Oilers first round matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.
The case for Stuart Skinner
Who was the player that brought the Oilers all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year? Stuuuu! Skinner had a very strong postseason run, propelling the Oilers to win after win, and into the winner-take-all game seven.
Even though he had some rocky moments last year—which was only his second appearance in the NHL postseason—Skinner was able to prove to the team that he could be relied on, and make the big time saves when they were needed. He ended up with 23 games played and posted 14 wins and nine losses. Skinner had one shutout with a 2.45 GAA, and a .901 SV% in those games.
Skinner’s record this season
This season on the other hand, was not as strong for the Oilers goaltender. Missing seven games not too long ago due to a head injury, Skinner has been very up and down this year. His longest win streak of the season was only three games, which happened twice; December 7 to 14 and December 31 to January 7. Playing 51 games this season, Skinner posted a 26–18–4 record. That is good enough for a GAA of 2.81 and a save percentage of .896%.
With those numbers, it’s truly hard to say how much the team trusts Skinner this year and if they even want to give him the game one start on Monday night. When making their decision, they will probably look at how he did almost a year ago, over how he played this season.
The case for Calvin Pickard
Stepping up in the absence of Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard had plenty of highlights and learning moments to look at this year. Pickard was able to have himself a pretty good 2024–25 season as an Edmonton Oiler.
Although he is only the Oilers backup goalie—currently in his second season in Edmonton—Pickard was able to impress the coaching staff and his teammates after playing seven out of eight games from March 27 to April 11, before Skinner returned to the crease on April 13.
Pickard’s record this season
Pickard had a strong showing as a set backup for the Oilers this season, and had some high and low moments as well. His longest win streak of the season was five games from January 11 to February 5, and he also won four straight on November 29 to December 21. Playing 36 games this season, Pickard posted a 22–10–1 record. That gave him a GAA of 2.71 and a save percentage of .900%.
With almost identical numbers to that of Skinner, Pickard makes the team decision a little bit harder once again, deciding who will get the Game 1 start. When making their decision, they will probably look at his playoff experience over what his season stats showed.
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Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
