Edmonton Oilers must be considering another change in net for Game 4
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No. But they all still counted as a goal-against for the Edmonton Oilers.
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And when your shark attack is starting to look more and more like chunky chum to a Florida Panthers group smelling blood in the water with a 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, well, let's just say they're gonna need a bigger boat.
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Whether that comes in the form of a change in starting goalie for Game 4 on Thursday (6 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet), only time will tell.
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Head coach Kris Knoblauch gave Skinner the hook with his Oilers trailing 5-1 at 3:27 of the third period Monday, on the way to a 6-1 loss in Game 3.
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'They've got good players, good shooters,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. 'So, I don't know how much we're going to put on Stu.
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'We can be better, for sure.'
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But so can Skinner.
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Up to this point, he has allowed 13 goals in three games (albeit across 12 separate periods of work, given the first two games ran long).
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Of the 97 shots he's faced, Skinner made 84 saves for a .866 goals-against average.
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Not good enough. Not in the Stanley Cup Final against the same opponent they lost to in Game 7 of this same series a year ago. Not even with the top three points leaders of the playoffs on their roster.
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So, Knoblauch & Co. have a big decision ahead of them as they head into their biggest game of the year.
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Calvin Pickard came in and stopped seven of the eight shots he faced over the final 16:33 on Monday, much like he did when he first spelled off Skinner in Game 2 of the opening round against the L.A. Kings. Of course, back then, the Oilers didn't win Game 1, and appeared headed toward the brink of early elimination.
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Pickard went on to win six straight starts, dusting off the Kings and setting up the Oilers nicely against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, before a lower-body injury suffered in Game 2 of that one paved the way for Skinner to resume the role.
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And he returned a new man, going 6-2 with a trio of shutouts on the way to reaching the Round 4 rematch against Florida, where he pushed it to 7-2 before the wheels started falling off again with Edmonton's first back-to-back losses since playoffs began.
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