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Edmonton Oilers turning to Skinner for Game 3 as Pickard suffers injury

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 10 2025, 4:43 pm
Edmonton Oilers turning to Skinner for Game 3 as Pickard suffers injury
Brad Rempel/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers will be turning to Stuart Skinner in Game 3 this evening versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

There was speculation this may be the case after Calvin Pickard was absent from today’s morning skate, and the Oilers wound up confirming the news a short time later.

“Calvin Pickard is day-to-day, Stuart Skinner is our starting goalie tonight,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said this morning. “We’re expecting Skins to come in and deliver what he’s done before. He was in this situation last year after having a little break in the Vancouver series.

“[He] came back and was a really solid goaltender throughout that series against Vancouver and throughout the rest of the playoffs. I think he’s ready and we’re going to go from that.”

Pickard has been excellent for the Oilers since getting in between the pipes in Game 3 of their first round series versus the LA Kings, putting up a 6-0-0 record. He had arguably his best start of the postseason on Thursday night versus the Golden Knights, kicking aside 28 of the 32 shots he faced in a 5-4 overtime victory.

While the Oilers haven’t confirmed when the injury took place, Pickard appeared to be shaken up moments before the Golden Knights tied Thursday’s game 4-4 late in the third period. He was spotted lingering after having Tomas Hertl fall on his leg.

Skinner will now be making his first start since Game 2 versus the Kings. The 26-year-old struggled immensely in his two playoff starts, posting a 6.11 GAA paired with a .815 SV%.

“Not the situation that we want to be in, but that’s playoffs,” Skinner told reporters this morning. “You need two goalies to go all the way. I’m excited to go back in the net. I’ve had some time to work on some things and I’m ready to go.

“I’ve been here before, nothing is that new to me. It’s an opportunity for me to go in the net and do my job and give these guys a chance to win. That’s all I can do, go out there, play my game. The building is going to be loud. I’m really excited to go back in there.”

Aside from the massive goaltending news, all other lines and pairings for the Oilers were the same at today’s skate. They will be looking to take a strangehold on the series tonight, though doing so would be far more difficult without Pickard, who has been a rock for them to this point.

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