Alarm bells ringing as Edmonton Oilers biggest weakness worsens
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Edmonton Oilers this weekend has had a brutal back-to-back with losing both games and let in 13 goals which raises the alarm bells that the Oilers goaltending is not good enough and an upgrade is needed.
Both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have been winning their share of games but considering how inconsistent at times Skinner has been and the brutal numbers that are beginning to show with Pickard certainly grants the question that this tandem is good enough for a Stanley Cup win.
Pickard has not shown the numbers to be the playoff backup
Pickard's overall numbers since November 2023 against the Florida Panthers all the way till yesterday afternoon against Washington has shown a save percentage well below .900 and is hovering around .890 which is not ideal for playoff goaltending.
As the games get tighter and the offence becomes less available through the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, goaltending becomes critical for any team to go far to the Stanley Cup finals.
With the numbers that the card is showing and the inconsistencies in Stuart skinner's game the goaltending needs attention with the possible upgrade at this year's trade deadline.
Oilers 25th in save percentage compared to the rest of the league
The Oilers currently sit second in the Pacific division only two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite the brutal save percentages that their goaltending is showing, Has been maintaining its position in the standings for the moment.
But after this back-to-back and if they have a disastrous two games in Florida, it's safe to say general manager Stan Bowman will look at goaltending as a possible upgrade as several names have been floated around over the past number of weeks.
John Gibson, Karel Vejmelka and even Jordan Binnington Have been mentioned as possible upgrades for the Oilers as the team has no choice but to go all in after being in the Stanley Cup finals last year.
The team has other needs that need to be attended to but if goaltending has become a critical problem, the Oilers organization may need to address this first and put other concerns on the back burner.
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