Oilers coach undecided on goalie for Game 4 after Stuart Skinner benching
The post Oilers coach undecided on goalie for Game 4 after Stuart Skinner benching appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Edmonton Oilers lost Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final 6-1 to the Florida Panthers. Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner was pulled after the fifth goal early in the third period in favor of Calvin Pickard. Earlier in the postseason, Pickard took over for a struggling Skinner and won six consecutive starts before getting hurt. Despite Pickard's excellence earlier in the postseason, coach Kris Knoblauch is not committing to anything before Game 4.
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'No, we haven't made a decision on goaltending,' Knoblauch said, per NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. 'And Stu [Skinner], I don't think had much chance on many of those goals.'
Skinner did shoulder some of the blame when speaking with the media after the game. 'To be honest, some were chaotic, some were really nice shots. It got a little post lucky for them, a couple shots, but I mean, I've had my post luck, too. It goes both ways, and they made some nice shots. … But as a goalie, you've got to come up with a save. It doesn't matter. It's a game of inches.'
The Oilers took 21 penalties and put the Panthers on 11 power plays in Game 3, which cost them a key game in the Stanley Cup Final. It is the biggest reason they are down 2-1 in the series, not their goaltending. But changing the goalie could provide the spark the team needs, as the Oilers showed earlier in the postseason.
Pickard is undefeated in postseason starts, going 6-0 in starts against the Kings and Golden Knights. But Skinner led them to the clinching wins against Vegas and won all four games against the Stars to clinch the Western Conference title. Knoblauch has two comparable options with the Stanley Cup Final potentially on the line.
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Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers is on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Related: Oilers' dream scenario in 2025 NHL Free Agency
Related: Oilers' Jake Walman fined $10,000 after scuffle with Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers bench
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