Oilers not committing to starting goalie for Game 6 vs. Panthers
The Edmonton Oilers are officially on the ropes after a disastrous performance in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. Despite playing in front of their home crowd, the Oilers were never in the game as the Panthers raced to a 5-2 victory to move within one win of a repeat.
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Before the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch made a shocking change to the Edmonton lineup, inserting Calvin Pickard back in goal in place of Stuart Skinner. Pickard had a strong finish to Game 4 after coming in for Skinner in relief, but Game 5 did not go his way.
Pickard allowed four goals on just 18 shots on Saturday night, making 14 saves in the process. He was pulled for an extra skater with about five minutes to go, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback.
After the game, Knoblauch would not commit to a starter for Tuesday's do-or-die Game 6 in Florida, via Gerry Moddejonge of NHL.com.
'That's a conversation with the staff, obviously our goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz, but with all the assistants and general manager to kind of weigh in with how everyone feels and what's best moving forward,' Knoblauch said. 'And it's not an easy decision.'
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Statistically, there isn't much between Skinner and Pickard this postseason. Both are hovering right around an 89% save percentage and are giving up just a shade under three goals per game, so the stats make it hard to differentiate between the two.
Skinner has had the higher highs in these playoffs, with three shutout performances. However, it's hard to argue with Pickard's 7-1 record, so Knoblauch and his staff have some tough decisions to make before Game 6.
Regardless, the Oilers are still just two wins away from getting revenge on the Panthers and lifting the Stanley Cup. However, their margin for error is now completely gone, and they have to find a way to flip the script as the Panthers have been in control for a majority of the five games so far.
Whether changing goaltenders or not helps that remains to be seen, but it will be an uphill climb for the Oilers regardless if they want to come back.
Related: How Panthers' Brad Marchand had Oilers star 'feeling s****y'
Related: Panthers' Sam Bennett reveals key to Game 5 masterpiece vs. Oilers
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