GM Stan Bowman gives thoughts on Edmonton Oilers' goaltending situation
Things are looking dire with the Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending situation, but GM Stan Bowman doesn’t sound too concerned.
The Oilers are coming off yet another disheartening 5-1 loss on Monday night, this time at the hands of the lowly Buffalo Sabres. The offence failed to take advantage of a rookie goalie, the defence allowed an anemic Sabres lineup to run the show, while they couldn’t get a timely save from Stuart Skinner, who allowed four goals on 27 shots.
Skinner’s record fell to 7-5-3 on the season, and his save percentage is now sitting at a dismal .889. Meanwhile, Pickard is ranked last in the NHL (among goalies with five or more starts) in save percentage (.830) and goals-against average (4.17).
Yet, when Bowman chatted about the goaltending on Monday’s edition of OilersNow with Bob Stauffer, there did not appear to be a lot of urgency on that front.
“I think Skinner, in particular, has been pretty solid this year,” Bowman said. “He’s given us a lot of good performance, and I think Calvin probably hasn’t started this year the way he did last year, when he was really effective and won some big games for us. We still want to see that version of him come back.
“Skinner is trending in the right direction; he’s shown us he can win some games… What we’re looking for is for our goaltending to be solid.”
It would be unfair to pin all of Edmonton’s struggles on the goaltending, but it would also be ignorant not to say it’s been a big part of it. Through 21 games this season, the Oilers have gotten a .900 save percentage or better in just six games.
That is not nearly good enough for a team that fancies itself as a Stanley Cup contender. It’s a signal that both goaltenders are struggling to find consistency, and that should set off alarm bells for the organization.
Solid is not a word that should be connected to the team’s goaltending situation, unless you were describing it as solidly inconsistent.
Connor Ingram is working to find his game in the AHL right now, but Bowman did not comment on his progress or whether he is being considered as a potential call-up option.
Whether or not this is Bowman throwing up a smokescreen while he works on securing a better option between the pipes remains to be seen. There would be nothing useful to gain out of reactively panicking about the situation publicly, so that could be a possible reason for his calm demeanour during the segment.
There are goalies out there who could potentially be available through trade, but the Oilers will need to make sure any deal they make isn’t one they’ll regret.