The Edmonton Oilers have named their starter for tonight's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Edmonton Oilers have named their starter for tonight's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
EDMONTON -- Game two of 82.
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Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers look to quickly turn the page of the story that is their 2024-25 season. They opened the year with a 6-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
They are highly motivated to avoid making this season a retread of last season. The easiest way to change the narrative is to get their first win of the season tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kris Knoblauch has displayed a hesitancy to pull Stuart Skinner. He's done it very few times, but when he does, it's a well-thought-out decision.
That makes his decision to remove Skinner in favor of Calvin Pickard after allowing five goals more surprising than it would be to most hockey aficionados.
The Oilers enter their first back-to-back of the season with the Calgary Flames stomping into Rogers Place tomorrow night. With that setup, it's guaranteed that the Oilers goalie duo will split the starts this weekend.
Knoblauch told the press earlier today that the plan was always for Pickard to start against the Blackhawks. This isn't a stretch, considering he back-stopped the Oilers to a victory over the Blackhawks during their 16-game win streak last season.
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Skinner will get the start against the Flames tomorrow night. Both goaltenders are looking to get their games in order. When both goalies are playing well, there is no team the Oilers can't beat.
Check out tonight's game on CBC and Sportsnet. For viewers in Chicago, they can find it on CHSN.
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