Edmonton Oilers consider huge lineup change before must-win Stanley Cup clash with Florida Panthers
With their season on the line on Tuesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers are faced with a problem that has no clear cut solution - knowing the wrong choice could result in a second-straight Stanley Cup Finals loss.
All series long, goaltending has been a major issue for Edmonton - with Stuart Skinner struggling once again on the biggest stage and backup Calvin Pickard not looking much better.
With a little more than 24 hours to go before Game 6 on Tuesday night, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch did not reveal which netminder he'd be going with against the Florida Panthers.
'Ultimately, it's who we feel is in the best position to win us a game. It about who's looking really good at that moment, and then we make our decision,' Knoblauch said on Monday.
Neither goaltender has played particularly well in this postseason - with both Pickard and Skinner owning sub-.895 save percentages for the playoffs overall.
In this series particularly, Skinner has owned a horrendous .859 save percentage - drastically down from the .924 save percentage he had in the Western Conference Finals.
His shoddy play got him benched twice in a 6-1 loss in Game 3 and a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 4.
So, Pickard got the start in Game 5 - only to allow four goals on 18 shots in a 5-2 loss. In this Finals series, Pickard's .877 save percentage doesn't exactly scream 'must start'.
Turning to scratches Olivier Rodrigue or Collin Delia is a non-starter at this point, so Knoblauch's decision isn't the clearest.
However, he admits that the imbalance in workload - with Skinner seeing much more ice time in the past few games than Pickard - could be working against them.
'I'll give that some consideration. He got pulled, but I don't put any of that blame on him,' Knoblauch said.
'I think Stu, like our team, is very resilient. They play their best when their backs are against the wall. Whether it's Stu or Picks, I think they've been able to come up big at most important times.'
Whichever netminder he goes with, Knoblauch's men have had a tendency to bounce back in these playoffs - owning a 6-1 record in the game after a loss, including a 2-0 record in these Finals.
If the Oilers are able to pull this off on Tuesday, it sets up a Friday night Game 7 back in Edmonton to see if Canada can end its 31-year Cup-less drought.
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