FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Edmonton Oilers are mulling a change in goal after being drubbed 6-1 by Florida in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.
The Oilers now trail the series 2-1 following consecutive losses, and coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday he “hasn’t decided” whether Edmonton will go back to Stuart Skinner — who was pulled early in the third period on Monday after allowing five goals on 23 shots — or tag in backup netminder Calvin Pickard.
“We’ll announce [our decision] before the game,” said Knoblauch. “I think a lot of the games where Stu maybe wasn’t on his A-game, our team wasn’t on their A-game in front of him. So, I don’t think there’s any bad goals. Maybe [we needed] an extra save. But doesn’t matter how well Stu played [in Game 3], it wouldn’t have made any difference in the game most likely. I’m not holding anything against Stu on that performance.”
Knoblauch avoided putting the weight of Edmonton’s defeat on Skinner but he also acknowledged Pickard as a viable option to replace him — and not for the first time in this postseason. Skinner was tapped as the Oilers’ starter in their first-round series against Los Angeles but gave up 11 goals through the series’ first two games (both Oilers losses) and Knoblauch inserted Pickard at the team’s No. 1 for Game 3. The veteran was excellent from there, peeling off six straight wins as Edmonton rallied to down the Kings and advance into a second-round bout against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was in Game 2 of that series where Pickard suffered a lower-body injury, and Skinner was forced back into the starter’s net. He, in turn, responded with a string of strong showings, going 6-2 with a .931 SV% and 1.73 GAA as the Oilers closed out the Golden Knights and then downed Dallas in a five-game Western Conference final.
The Cup Final — a rematch of last year’s championship against the Panthers — has been tougher on Skinner. He’s 1-2, with an .866 SV% and 3.74 GAA. It’s a stat line that has at least given Knoblauch pause to consider going back to Pickard on Thursday.
“In games like [Monday], we’re down 5-1. We’re not playing very well in front of him,” said Knoblauch. “I don’t think that’s fair for [Skinner] to stick in there and play through it. And here we’ve got a goaltender [with] Picks, he’s been pretty good, 6-0 in the playoffs, hasn’t played [lately]. And whether we use him again, here’s a little opportunity for him to get some playing time [in Game 3]. So, when we do use him, he’s a little more comfortable when he goes in that net. So I think it’s one, just allowing Picks some playing time, just in case we do need him and do choose to use him at a certain point, but also give Stu some time off and not have him play through that circumstance.”
Whoever does earn the Oilers’ crease for Game 4 will require more support up front than Edmonton delivered on Monday. Florida manhandled its competition in every facet, holding the Oilers’ top skaters Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at bay while gaining their own offensive momentum. Edmonton’s parade to the penalty box — which included 21 infractions for a total of 85 penalty minutes — gave the Panthers an advantage they didn’t waste by not only scoring three power play goals but frustrating the Oilers into unraveling entirely in a chaotic third period line brawl.
“The game is over with, what, 11 minutes left, right [when Florida is up 5-1],” said Draisaitl. “And then all hell breaks loose and it’s a UFC fight. I think overall, we can be a little bit more disciplined and stay away from that. But there’s also times where we’ve handled [those situations] really well.”
Edmonton will have to find that composure again in Game 4 if it wants to even the series heading back home. The Oilers had two days to get ready and decided to practice on Tuesday rather than follow the Panthers’ lead with a day off. That was by design to flush the system — physically and emotionally — of what happened the night before.
“We obviously didn’t feel great waking up,” said Mattias Ekholm. “But getting together again, get on the ice, we all feel a lot better about it. I think we’re really good. We’ve just got to have a moment of realization this morning of, yeah, we’re three wins away. We’re one win away from having a best out of three with two home games. There’s a lot of positives. Sometimes you get a little lost in that when you lose a game. We had a really good practice today where we’re upbeat and we know we can be better.”
It’s a similar refrain to what the Oilers proclaimed after Game 2, a 5-4 double-overtime loss that tied the series after Edmonton
