Oilers Backup Goalie Pickard Emerges as Unlikely Hero of NHL Playoffs

Last Friday at Rogers Place, Pickard stopped 24 shots in a 7-4 victory for the Oilers. Forty-eight hours later, he made 38 saves to help the Oilers even the series by defeating Los Angeles 4-3 in overtime on Sunday (April 27). And at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday (April 29), Pickard provided a 21-save performance as Edmonton won by a score of 3-1 to move within one victory of advancing to Round 2.

The veteran netminder has been playing better as the series goes along. Including a short relief appearance in Game 2, Pickard was beaten five times on the first 21 shots he faced this postseason. But since Kings forward Kevin Fiala scored on him at 7:32 of the second period on Sunday, Pickard has allowed just one goal over the last 108:52 he’s been on the ice.

Pickard now leads the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a win/loss record of 3-0, while posting a 2.62 GAA and .904 SV% this postseason.

Pickard Has Limited Postseason Experience

To appreciate how incredible this is, consider that Pickard, who turned 33 on April 15, entered this postseason with less than 400 minutes of playoff experience in pro hockey. From 2009-10, his second season of junior hockey with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), until last Friday, Pickard had started a total of five playoff games at all levels of competition: one with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs, two with the Bakersfield Condors in the 2023 AHL postseason, and two with the Oilers in last year’s NHL Playoffs.

Pickard was very solid in a backup role for the Oilers this season, posting a record of 22-10-1 with a GAA of 2.71 and SV% of .900. In fact, Pickard’s 2024-25 numbers were actually better than those of Skinner, who had a substandard campaign, going 26-18-4 with a 2.81 GAA and .896 SV%.

Still, Edmonton’s hopes of making a second consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final seemed to hinge on Skinner. The 26-year-old is a proven winner, having backstopped teams to championships throughout his career, from bantam to the WHL to the AHL. He won 14 games in the NHL Playoffs last year as Edmonton got within one victory of the Stanley Cup.

But when Skinner couldn’t come up with the big stops in Games 1 and 2, Knoblauch turned to Pickard with Edmonton’s postseason hopes effectively on the line in Game 3. And the rest is history.

Nothing Is Certain for Oilers

As incredible a story as this is, Edmonton’s goaltending situation remains precarious and filled with questions. Can Pickard maintain his play for an extended period? He’s performed well in spot duty but hasn’t started more than four consecutive games in the NHL, regular season or playoffs, since 2016-17 while a member of the Colorado Avalanche. And if Pickard falters, can Skinner pick up the reins and rediscover his form of one year ago?

It bears mentioning that Edmonton is playing much better hockey from the crease out now than it was at the start of the series. Skinner was hung out to dry in Game 1, while the Oilers had their best defensive effort of the series in Game 5.

It will all be fascinating to watch unfold over however long Edmonton’s postseason run lasts. Somehow, through the most unlikely circumstances, the Oilers have a chance to finish off Los Angeles in front of their fans on Thursday.