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Oilers may ride starting goalie change in wake of Stuart Skinner slump

Originally posted on Oilers Daily | By Liam McCormick | Last updated Mar 15, 2025 5:05 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers will have a tough decision to make for their next game after goaltender Calvin Pickard put in a fantastic performance against the New York Islanders.

Stuart Skinner has struggled significantly at times this season, leading to real doubts about his play for the playoffs. The Oilers have only one other option now, Cal Pickard.

Could the Edmonton Oilers increase Calvin Pickard's starts to give Skinner a break?

Many Oilers fans are raising the possibility of giving Calvin Pickard the next start against the New York Rangers after Skinner's recent struggles.

Pickard's been a decent backup goalie for the Oilers in the last two years, getting mostly favourable starts and putting up wins in a majority of them.

Last season was better for Pickard, with a .909 save percentage in 23 games. He's already up to 25 games this season, but his save percentage has dropped just below league average at .898. Currently, Stuart Skinner is at .896, and fans want to see better than that.

Perhaps the Oilers give Pickard a bit more runway here to take some of the workload off Skinner, and allow him a reset period to find his game. However, the last time the Oilers tried to reward Pickard for a good start, he got lit up vs the Anaheim Ducks.

If Pickard ever deserved to be rewarded for a good effort though, it was for his game last night. Pickard kept the Islanders to one goal, and then even assisted on the overtime winner.

Whoever the coach chooses to start tomorrow's game will be a telling sign of how they're currently evaluating their goalies.

Given Skinner's recent struggles and Pickard's great game, rewarding the backup goalie makes the most sense for the next start. Skinner doesn't need to be on the bench for long, but for now, the Oilers should run on merit and ride the hot hand.

This article first appeared on Oilers Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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