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Edmonton Oilers Reveal Calvin Pickard's Status for Round 3 of the Playoffs

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 16, 2025 3:06 PM ET

The Oilers rode Stuart Skinner late in their series with the Golden Knights, and now they'll continue to do so as Calvin Pickard will miss the start of the Western Conference Finals.

The Edmonton Oilers have had goaltending issues for much of the 2024/25 campaign, but after suffering two straight losses to start their first round series with the Los Angeles Kings, they've figured it out.

Calvin Pickard would go on to win the next six games for Edmonton, but after an injury, the team once again turned to Stuart Skinner, who posted back-to-back shutouts to lead the Oilers back to the Western Conference Finals, likely retaining the starters net for the matchup with either Winnipeg or Dallas.

Now, we know when Calvin Pickard will be back, as the Oilers have revealed he will miss the start of the Western Conference Finals, but will likely return at some point during the series, the same desingnation given to defenseman Mattias Ekholm on Friday.

In his three games since taking over as starter again, Skinner stopped 67 of the 71 shots he saw, and will now likely retain no matter Pickard's status, but it will be important for the Oilers to get him healthy again in case Skinner goes down or struggles against a high-powered offense of either the Stars or Jets.

Ultimately, Pickard has been a true veteran through the post-season thus far, stepping up when needed but also playing the role of a backup perfectly when that was what was needed of him, and if they can get him back to 100%, he'll play a key role in this team potentially getting back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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