Oilers announce starting goalie decision and lineup changes for game 5
Oilers coach Knoblauch made a gutsy move starting Calvin Pickard, and now he's doubling down.
The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they will start Calvin Pickard again tonight, after securing a victory in game 4.
Pickard gave the Oilers exactly what they've needed in game 4 - simply league average goaltending. After truly establishing himself as a starting goalie this season, Stuart Skinner has struggled mightily in the playoffs again. Skinner admitted to the media that the emotion of the playoffs were affecting him, which didn't inspire confidence in giving him another start.
Instead, the veteran Pickard has kept his cool, and perhaps the maturity is playing a factor in his success. With the Oilers playing elite offence and defence, they just need a goalie to make the expected saves. Skinner has been letting those in, but Pickard cleared that bar in game 4, and earned himself another opportunity.
The rest of the Oilers lineup seems to be remaining intact from last game. Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Adam Henrique, and Mattias Ekholm were all absent from practice, but are expected to play. There could potentially be changes on defence, but hopefully Knoblauch keeps the pairings from last game - with Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse separated.
The Oilers will be looking to steal a win on the road and bring back to Edmonton an opportunity to eliminate the Canucks and punch their ticket to the conference finals. Now down to a best of three series, every shift will matter for the Oilers.
| POLL | ||
MAI 16 | 661 ANSWERS Oilers announce starting goalie decision and lineup changes for game 5 Do you agree with the decision to start Calvin Pickard in goal over Stuart Skinner? | ||
| Yes, starting Pickard is the right move | 520 | 78.7 % |
| No, go back to your real starter Skinner | 107 | 16.2 % |
| See Results | 34 | 5.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
