Why the Oilers' Calvin Pickard is the Deserving Choice for Game 4 Over Skinner and Campbell
The Edmonton Oilers have gotten poor goaltending so far, and Pickard is the answer over the other options available, including Jack Campbell.
There is a clear goaltending issue for the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, and it isn't just a recent problem.
This is the second year in a row where Stuart Skinner's numbers have fallen off once post-season action gets underway. With a must-win Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, it looks like it is time for Calvin Pickard to take over, with Daily Faceoff reporting the 32-year-old is expected to get his first career NHL playoff start.
If it weren't for the high-scoring offense of the Oilers and the ability to limit shots in a number of games, Edmonton might have already been eliminated.
Early season struggles aside, Skinner stepped up in a big way for most of the season and helped the Oilers secure a playoff spot. After starting 1-5-1 with a .854 save percentage, he ended 35-11-4 with a .913 save percentage.
But in eight playoff games this season, Skinner has posted a .900 save percentage or better in just two of them, coming back-to-back against the Los Angeles Kings in the third and fourth games of the first round.
Skinner's career .881 SP is the second-lowest among goalies with at least 20 playoff games played since 2000. He has an .877 save percentage in this playoffs.
The Oilers face increased pressure to win a Stanley Cup with their core group in their primes. They shouldn't be afraid of going to a different goalie, and it doesn't appear like they are by likely starting Pickard.
The other options besides Skinner and Pickard would be Jack Campbell and Olivier Rodrigue.
Campbell has a career 2.28 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in the playoffs, which are tempting numbers to consider when deciding whether to play him or not against the Canucks despite spending most of the season with AHL Bakersfield. But his regular-season performance in his two seasons with the Oilers has been so inconsistent that the team was too hesitant to even give him a start in last year's playoffs despite replacing a pulled Skinner four times.
Pickard got more looks in net leading up to the playoffs. It gave Skinner more rest heading into the post-season and ensured Pickard was ready if a dire situation arose. That situation has come.
Pickard played better than expected for the Oilers, with a .909 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average. Those numbers would likely be good enough for Edmonton right now against Vancouver, which has already proven experience doesn't matter for a goaltender if they're still playing well, as is the case with third-stringer Arturs Silovs.
The Oilers don't have much to lose at this point in net, so Pickard deserves this opportunity. He must take over and start more than once game if Edmonton wants a chance to advance.
As for Campbell, he is the third option, and the Oilers will likely be eliminated before even having a chance to use him in a game. Coach Kris Knoblauch said after Game 3 that Skinner's expected to get another chance in net, so if Pickard loses Game 4, Skinner will likely have to save their season in Game 5. And considering Campbell's last start came on April 24 against the Ontario Reign, in which he allowed five goals on 30 shots in a playoff loss, it doesn't make much sense to go to him right now.
The Oilers are desperate, as they should beat the Vancouver Canucks if they get average goaltending, but they have a perfectly viable option in Pickard before Campbell even dresses as a backup.