Calvin Pickard will miss the rest of the series for the Oilers
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard will miss the remainder of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights due to an injury, according to a report on Monday.
On Monday, with veteran Stuart Skinner in net, the Oilers hosted the Golden Knights in Game 4, leading the series 2-1.
Pickard has won all six starts in goal for the Oilers during this postseason run. After Edmonton lost the first two games against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, coach Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner, the team’s regular season starter, with Pickard. The 33-year-old career backup earned wins in the next four games to help the Oilers eliminate the Kings and then earned wins in the first two games of the second round in Vegas.
Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl fell on Pickard’s left leg during the Oilers’ 5-4 overtime win on May 8. The Moncton, New Brunswick native finished the game but hasn’t practiced since. With Skinner back in net, host Edmonton lost 4-3 in Game 3, when Vegas forward Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds remaining to cut the Oilers’ series lead to 2-1.
According to reports, “it will likely be at least a week” before Pickard can return, and during Monday night’s Game 4, Olivier Rodrigue was the backup goalie on the bench. Rodrigue, 24, played only two games for Edmonton in his first NHL season.
Skinner, who starred in the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring, has allowed 15 goals in just 168 minutes of playing time this postseason and has a low save percentage of .817. During the regular season, Skinner was 26-18-4, with a goals-against average of 2.81 and a save percentage of .896.
Since falling 2-0 to the Kings, the Oilers had won six of seven postseason games before Monday’s Game 4. Game 5 is in Vegas on Wednesday night.
