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Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
'This is a clown show': Edmonton Oilers country reacts to Game 3 loss, looks head to Game 4
Article content Oilers fan Burt Schoeppe バート @BurtSchoeppe If it weren't for the game 4 history I would go with Pickard. Go with Skinner on Thursday night. Oilers fan GrizzAlberta @GrizzAlberta There's gotta be be lineup changes. Frederic has done nothing, Skinner in. Nurse has been subpar, needs Stecher pairing. S. Skinner needs a break, Pickard should take the net in Game 4. Oilers can't compete with Panthers greasy style need to go back to their speed, skill game. Oilers fan Dennis King @DKingBH Two issues with bringing Stecher back in for Nurse. First off, it's on the road and they would need to be the 3rd pair and heavily sheltered. Secondly, the Oilers are either not allowed to play Nurse on a 3rd pair or they lack basic reading comprehension:) Oilers fan Formerly The Cynic @J_TheCynic There is a undefeated goalie on the team. He never loses. But coach keeps him on the bench?…WE WERE LEFT FOR DEAD IN THE LA SERIES…….until. They played Calvin Pickard. Do not overthink this.
Global News
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Global News
‘Seasoned' Swan Hills wildfire evacuees find safe haven in Whitecourt
After years of dry and hot springs in Alberta, wildfire evacuations are nothing new for evacuees and the communities that step up to welcome them in. In north-central Alberta, the 1,300 residents of Swan Hills were ordered to leave Monday night ahead of an advancing, wind-whipped fire. People living in the town roughly 200 km northwest of Edmonton were asked to register at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre in Whitecourt, about 80 km to the south. The community of about 10,000 people along Highway 43 has been a safe haven for wildfire evacuees from several different communities north of it in recent years. 'We're a hub in this part of west-central Alberta,' Whitecourt Mayor Tom Pickard said on Tuesday outside the evacuation reception centre. 'We're centrally located, we're right in the middle of the boreal forest.' Story continues below advertisement 'We've had people here from Fox Creek, Valleyview, the First Nations around Valleyview — even as far north as Yellowknife over the last couple of years.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We've had people here from Fox Creek, Valleyview, the First Nations around Valleyview — even as far north as Yellowknife over the last couple of years." 1:48 Alberta communities who faced wildfire threat earlier this year now welcoming N.W.T. evacuees Pickard said a little more than 700 people have registered since Swan Hills evacuation began Monday night. A few hundred are staying at local hotels while others are staying with family and friends or have moved on to other parts of Alberta. Pickard has lived and worked in the Whitecourt area for more than 40 years, as both a Mountie and in oil and gas before becoming mayor, and said many residents and businesses in town are doing their part to help. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I know our restaurants are busy, hotels are busy and we're just very pleased that we can help,' he said. 'We're happy when people feel safe here because that's what we're trying to deliver.' Story continues below advertisement 'People in Whitecourt are hard-working, compassionate people,' he said Tuesday, noting that it's not the first time his community has hosted evacuees. Those who left Swan Hills Monday night said it was a calm, organized process — one they've done before. 'We're pretty seasoned now from two years ago, so we know what to expect,' said Gina MacDonald, who spent Monday packing up essentials and preparing to leave with the kids and animals. She wasn't too stressed about the fire. 'I know our fire department's the best, so I'm not worried. I know they have the town, so it's in good hands.' Jay and Robyn Marriott have lived in Swan Hills for 25 years, where Jay also grew up. Story continues below advertisement 'I think this is about my fifth evacuation in total. My brother's probably been through ten up there,' Jay said. They began preparing to leave after being alerted Sunday night they may have to do so if the fire grew. 'We just spent the day slowly getting things ready,' Robyn said. 'Once they started talking evacuation, we got our bags together, food together, dog stuff together.' On Tuesday, the fire north of Swan Hills remained about seven to eight km north of town. The Marriott's son has been checking his security cameras, which they said has helped to ease anxieties. 'Everything seems to be nice and peaceful,' Robyn said. Alberta Wildfire officials said night vision-equipped helicopters, firefighters and heavy equipment worked overnight, when fire activity was low — growing from 2,000 to 2,266 hectares — but activity was expected to increase again Tuesday, with hot, dry and windy conditions. 'The weather is what the weather is,' said Alberta Wildfire information officer Derrick Forsythe. 'It's gonna be warmer and it's windy and it's still pretty dry. So that's gonna to be challenging, but we've been on these fires for a long time and we know what we're doing.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's gonna be warmer and it's windy and it's still pretty dry. So that's gonna to be challenging, but we've been on these fires for a long time and we know what we're doing." Arriving in Swan Hills on Tuesday were two wildland urban interface crews, a high-volume water delivery system, an incident command team and additional firefighting crews. Story continues below advertisement 'We're working pretty closely with our partners — there's a lot of industrial sites out there — so we're (working) closely with them to make sure that we've got those things covered and looked after,' Forsythe said. View image in full screen A wildfire north of Swan Hills, Alta. on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Global News The fire near Swan Hills isn't the only fire of concern in Alberta — as of Tuesday afternoon, there were 27 active blazes in the northern and western regions Alberta Wildfire monitors. On Tuesday, people living in a remote area southeast of Hinton in the foothills were told to prepare for a possible evacuation because of an out-of-control 400-hectare fire burning west of the former coal mining town of Mercoal. There's also a 3,100-hectare wildfire in eastern Alberta, on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range roughly seven km north of the Kirby airstrip, that's a concern for oil and gas operations in the area. Story continues below advertisement 'We're managing the fires on the ground right now with the resources we have in the province,' Forsythe said. 'We just ask people to take that that extra time and be careful when they are in the forested areas.' — with files from Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
Edmonton Journal
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Oilers make Pink Pony Club part of their playoff lore
Article content It has become such a part of this playoff run that the crowd of 18,000-plus at Rogers Place belted out 'Pink Pony Club' during Game 3. But how did this song become the Oilers' playoff anthem? That's a closely guarded secret. 'We're going to keep that one within the team,' said Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard. Goalie Calvin Pickard, who was in net for the team's first six playoff triumphs of 2025 before falling to injury, offered little more. 'I don't know if I can tell people that story, can I?' said Pickard. 'Well, I know exactly where it started, but I don't know if I want to let that secret out. I know exactly when, because I was there.. But, I think I am going to keep it tight to the chest. But does Pickard like the song? 'Yeah, it's great,' he said. 'We rally around it, for sure. My kids love it, and it seems like the city loves it, too.' The fact that a lot of the sportswriters in the dressing room hadn't heard of the song until the playoff run is a sign that a lot of us need to get out more. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Roan's song has become more than the sum of its parts. It's about a girl who moves from a small town to pursue her dreams in Los Angeles, but ends up dancing at a club, The fact that she knows her mother would be aghast with her life choices suggests that the venue in question is indeed a strip club, but her line 'and I heard there's a special place, where boys and girls can all be queens every single day' has also made it anthem for the Queer community, and just about any kid who feels he, she or they simply don't fit in. There was a Chappell Roan-themed drag night held at an Edmonton nightclub in the fall of 2024. It's a pop song, but it might be the most unintentionally punk-rock anthem of this generation. Honestly, no one would have batted an eyelash had these lyrics been sung by Kurt Cobain.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stuart Skinner backstopping Oilers after another mid-playoff reset
EDMONTON – Stuart Skinner had peeled off half of his equipment and was handed a headset. The Edmonton Oilers goaltender answered questions during a television interview outside the team's locker room as fans situated in an adjacent dining area snapped pictures through a glass divider. Occupying the crease for the NHL team in Alberta's capital probably feels like being in a fishbowl at times. Skinner knows that roller-coaster well — and is currently riding a high in the Western Conference final. The 26-year-old has backstopped the Oilers to a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven matchup following Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. Despite the lopsided score, the visitors carried play for long stretches, especially in a second period when the ice was severely tilted. Skinner, however, held the fort and finished with 33 saves to even his playoff record at 4-4 with Game 4 set for Tuesday back at Rogers Place. It's been, quite frankly, feast or famine for the Edmonton native this spring. He lost the net to backup Calvin Pickard in the opening round after a couple of bad outings put Edmonton in a 2-0 hole against the Los Angeles Kings. Pickard then ripped off six straight wins, but was hurt Game 2 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights. Skinner, who was also replaced by Pickard for a stretch in last year's playoffs before helping lead the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, headed back into the fray after that recent reset and has hardly looked back. The 26-year-old allowed one goal through his first four wins of the playoffs, joining Ilya Bryzgalov (2006), Ed Belfour (2004), Patrick Lalime (2002) and Felix Potvin (1994) as the only netminders to accomplish that feat since 1944. He blanked Vegas in Games 4 and 5 to close out the Golden Knights, but surrendered five goals on 27 shots in the opener against Dallas on a night where the Oilers squandered a 3-1 lead in the third period. The 78th pick at the 2017 draft, however, rebounded again with a 25-save shutout in Game 2 ahead of Sunday's showing. 'I'm proud of myself,' said Skinner, who would have become the first goalie in NHL history with shutouts in his first four victories of a post-season. 'I'm most proud of the effort I'm putting in.' The Oilers needed all of it in Sunday's second period when the Stars held a 10-1 edge in high-danger scoring chances, according to analytics website 'He was huge for us,' Edmonton winger Evander Kane, who had three assists in Game 3, said following Monday's optional practice. 'We needed him probably more than we would have liked to. If he can continue playing the way he's played down the stretch … we really, really like our chances.' The Oilers play with more defensive structure than past iterations, but Skinner deserves a ton of credit with 104 saves on 105 shots against in his four post-season victories of 2025. 'It's been fun to watch him play the past few games,' Edmonton blueliner Evan Bouchard said. 'He's getting back to his game, playing with confidence.' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said that, much like last year, Skinner's ability to refocus is one of his greatest assets. 'To bounce back after a tough game, bad stretch, whatever it is, I've been very impressed,' Knoblauch said. 'He was able to recover well and work on some of the parts of his game, the technical side. But I've been very impressed with how even-keel he is. 'Doesn't get too high or too low.' No easy task living in a hockey fishbowl. EKHOLM, PICKARD CLOSE; BROWN TO SIT Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who took part in Monday's optional skate, said he's getting closer to a return — potentially as early as Game 4. 'Probably one of the tougher things I've gone through in my hockey career,' the 35-year-old, who hasn't played in the post-season due to an undisclosed injury, said of watching his team from the press box. 'Never been hurt in the playoffs before, so having to go through this and knowing that it'd be a long stretch, it's nerve-racking. It's not fun, but the guys have done such a tremendous job.' Knoblauch said there's a chance Pickard could serve as Skinner's backup Tuesday. Oilers winger Connor Brown, however, won't be available after taking a big hit from Stars defenceman Alexander Petrovic in Game 3. 'It's unfortunate he got hurt,' said the bruising blueliner from Edmonton. 'Just finishing my check. The game moves fast.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. HINTZ SPEAKS Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said No. 1 centre Roope Hintz will again be a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. The Finn took a slash from Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse in the third period of Game 2 and didn't return. He went out for warm-ups Sunday, but didn't participate in line rushes. Hintz, who didn't want to dwell on the Nurse incident when speaking with reporters, was on the ice with a handful of teammates at Monday's optional practice. 'You want to play every game, especially in the playoffs,' he said. 'I'm trying everything that I can.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Miami Herald
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Oilers' Stuart Skinner Ties For The NHL Lead In Playoff Shutouts: ‘It's A Rollercoaster'
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner recorded a shutout once again this post-season. The Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 in Game 2 of the Western Conference final to tie the series at 1-1. While Edmonton blew a 3-1 lead in the third period of Game 1's 6-3 loss, the away team held on while being outshot 9-2 in the final frame of Game 2. Skinner stopped 25 shots in the game, including a massive third-period stick save on Stars defenseman Esa Lindell. The blueliner had a wide-open net, but Skinner reached across to the right and got the heel of his stick on the ice to redirect the puck just past the left side of the net. The 26-year-old Skinner recorded a 2.87 goals-saved-above-expected rating, which factors in the quality of chances, according to Friday night's performance adds to an up-and-down playoffs for the goaltender. "It's a rollercoaster," Skinner told ESPN's Emily Kaplan while sitting on the bench post-game. "It's every playoffs. I mean, no matter what happens, there's a lot of highs, there's a lot of lows. It doesn't matter who you are, what team you are. You're just going to face those challenges." Skinner now has three shutouts in the 2024-25 NHL playoffs, tying Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky for the league lead. Bobrovsky, however, has played twice as many games as Skinner, at 14 to 7. They also have the same number of losses, at four. And Bobrovsky won seven other games without recording shutouts. Skinner hasn't. In fact, Skinner kept an intriguing stat alive in Game 2: he's either won by recording a shutout or lost with a save percentage of .833 or below in these playoffs. He allowed a combined 11 goals in his first two games against the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1, both losses, before the Oilers ran with Calvin Pickard for the rest of the round. Pickard went 6-0 to eliminate the Kings and take a 2-0 series lead against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round before suffering an injury. Skinner had an .833 save percentage when returning to the lineup in Game 3 of that series, when the Golden Knights scored with less than a second left in regulation to win 4-3. But Skinner responded with back-to-back shutouts to help the Oilers book their place in the Western Conference final for the second straight time and third time in four years. With Pickard remaining out of the lineup to start the series against the Stars, Skinner stopped 16 of 17 shots through the first two periods of Game 1 before conceding three power-play goals and an even-strength goal on 10 shots in the third period. The Oilers were more disciplined in Game 2, going 2-for-2 on the penalty kill while outhitting the Stars 50-29. Nearly every time after Skinner lost, the burning question is whether the Oilers should put another goalie in net, whether it's a healthy Pickard or third-stringer Olivier Rodrigue. After every shutout, there are signs of a goaltender who can get the job done in the biggest games of the year. "For me, it's just rinse and repeat, just keep on going," Skinner said. "You can let in five and still give it your all, so I mean, that's kind of what our whole mindset was as a team. I thought we played well (in Game 1), and sometimes, the score doesn't really tell you the whole picture, and we just went back out there and played the same way." Skinner said gaining experience, such as backstopping the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last season, can really change a person's mindset. "It really tells you that you're never out, no matter what position you're in until they actually don't allow you to play anymore," he said. He also gave his teammates credit for helping him get that mindset. "It truly does take a community," Skinner told Kaplan. "It takes a city, takes a lot of people to really help you persevere, go through different challenges, adversities, and mainly your teammates. The way the guys play in front of me, day in, day out, no matter what situation we're in, I mean, that's all it is." Game 3 goes down in Edmonton on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Get thelatest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and bysubscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting belowthe article on Copyright 2025 The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.
