Who should start in goal for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 and why: 9 Things

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27-04-2025

The Edmonton Oilers literally saved their season with a gut-check victory over Los Angeles on Friday night.
But while the win was great, the club has yet to entirely dig themselves out of the deep early hole they excavated for themselves.
Yes, Friday was a must-win. But if they do not follow that up with another triumph on Sunday the hole is back to being just as deep…but with even fewer shovels remaining to complete the job.
That and more in this Stanley Cup Playoffs edition of…
9. The Oilers do have depth in reserve if (God forbid) injuries were to re-occur. The Black Aces, as they are commonly known, consist of Bakersfield farm hands Olivier Rodrigue, Defenders Phil Kemp and Cam Dineen, and Forwards Noah Philp, Matt Savoie and James Hamblin.
8. A shout-out to my Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples who suggested after the Game Two loss that Kris Knoblauch return to the Draisaitl-Arvidsson-Podkolzin line. Perhaps the coach's ears were burning, as he did just that with great success. At 5v5, Draisaitl was 76%, Arvidsson 81% and Podkolzin 83%. With so much flux everywhere else in the lineup, the reunion made good common sense.
7. I like the Trent Frederic acquisition in the long run. I think this club will need to get younger and more energetic in the off-season. But you can only add so many AHL grads and still be a cup contender. Frederic is already a man who has proven his worth at the NHL level. You can see his skating starting to iron out. One hopes the series lasts long enough for him to show what he can really do.
6. And what I just said about Frederic applies to much of this lineup right now. You may not think that playing as a unit down the stretch and being in a groove heading into the playoffs is that important. But I think we are seeing first-hand evidence that is certainly is. My fear and lingering question is: Can the Oilers survive and stay alive long enough to hit their stride?
5. At the outset of this series, I wondered publicly whether Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty were still able to lead their club to a win in a Seven Game series. I have mad respect for both. Terrific careers. But they are thirty-five and thirty-seven. And Kopitar got lit up by Edmonton on Friday and Doughty was a key figure in the McDavid insurance marker. If the Oilers can extend the series, I believe it can become an advantage. If…
4. On Friday night Evan Bouchard became the first defenceman in franchise history to score two power play goals in a single Stanley Cup Playoff game. That is really something when you think of the fine blueliners that have been Edmonton Oilers, top-of-mind for this example of course being Paul Coffey. Like many of you, I often get frustrated with Bouchard's defensive game. But you can teach defending. You can not teach the elite offensive skills he possesses. And we saw that (and better defending) in spades in Game Three.
3. Speaking of blueliners, Troy Stecher has been medically cleared to play. Whether he is up to game speed yet is probably the bigger question. I would be surprised if he plays on Sunday. But depending on how things go, I could imagine him being an option for Game Five. But who would come out? I have a tough time seeing them removing John Klingberg. He has been 'Steady Eddy' for consecutive games. You can just see the veteran cool and calm in his game. The more likely candidate would be Ty Emberson. Yes, Emberson is a member of the Penalty Kill pairings. But it is not like those special teams have been lights-out.
2. The fact that Klingberg has been able to come in after having missed so much time (first with the surgery, then the subsequent injury) is impressive. But at least he has had some runway. Evan Kane has been nothing short of amazing so far. While I think we could see him searching for his hands and timing in Game Two, he looked a whole lot like vintage Evander Kane in Game Three. It is easy to forget just how important Kane has been to this club since arriving. When he is right, he provides something (in abundance, I might add) that no other player on the roster does. It is a testament to his athleticism, his drive, and his raw talent.
1.I do not think there is a wrong answer to 'who should the Edmonton Oilers start in goal for Game Four.' And Head Coach Kris Knoblauch would not tip his hand in front of the media on Saturday. But I know who I would be going with if it were my call: Calvin Pickard. My reasons why? First and foremost, you just won with the guy. Pickard was certainly not perfect, but I only had direct blame for him on the fourth goal against…and even that was a breakaway. And at no point did I think that Pickard looked fragile or lacking in confidence. That does not mean that Stuart Skinner could not come in and pitch a damn good game on Sunday. I still thin the Oilers consider Skinner their #1. And in fact, if the Oilers are to go multiple rounds in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need Skinner to rediscover his form. I still see him as the best available starter going forward. The devil will be in the details. Not if…but when. However, who do you think they have more confidence in at this moment?
And please do not start down the road with me on the Olivier Rodrigue path. I can not begin to describe how bad of an idea it would be to start an AHL goaltender who is basically untested at the NHL level. Down 2-1 in a seven-game series is not the time for a Hail Mary, which I what that would be. C'mon. Get real. And besides, that would be totally unfair to force the kid into that situation.
And I am not sure it matters anyway. If the Oilers do not find their defensive game and become more effective on the Penalty Kill the goalie will not be the biggest factor. Edmonton is still giving up way too many good looks to win with what they have, which is average goaltending.
But in the short term, as the Oilers hurry to find their legs in this series, yanking a goalie out of the crease after he just helped you win a desperation game smacks to me of panic.
And panic is the one thing the Oilers can not afford, right about now.
Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [e-mail]. This article is not AI generated.
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In memory of Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.
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