Knoblauch gives update on Edmonton Oilers goalie decision with season on the line
The Edmonton Oilers have a tough decision to make ahead of a must-win Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Final.
With the Florida Panthers on the verge of capturing their second straight Stanley Cup against the Oilers, a decision has to be made about which goalie will get the nod in the Edmonton crease.
Stuart Skinner has been pulled in two straight outings in both Game 3 and Game 4, and now Calvin Pickard is coming off his first loss of the playoffs in Game 5. There is no clear answer in sight for the Oilers, but a decision will have to be made by head coach Kris Knoblauch and the rest of the coaching staff.
The sophomore coach met with the media on Sunday morning to discuss the goaltending before travelling to Florida.
“That’s a conversation with the staff, our goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz, all the assistants, and the general manager,” Knoblauch said. “It’s not an easy decision, we’ve got two goalies that have shown that they can play extremely well and win hockey games.
“We feel that no matter who we choose, they can win the game.”
Coach Knoblauch spoke with the media before the #Oilers left for Florida this morning about overcoming slow starts heading into Game 6, goaltending plans & dealing with the long travel.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/odGJcPIfuL
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 15, 2025
The fact that Knoblauch didn’t give a clear answer shows that there is some discussion going on behind closed doors about who will get the Game 6 start for the Oilers. It’s been a weird playoff run when it comes to the goaltending duties in Edmonton.
Skinner was the de facto starting goalie throughout the regular season, but has only gotten 14 postseason starts. Meanwhile, the journeyman backup Pickard has gotten 10 starts. They have been sharing the net, though nobody has run away with it, as both goaltenders have posted save percentages below .900 in the playoffs.
Knoblauch mentioned that the team has to start playing with the lead to help take the pressure off the goalies.
“When the pressure is not on them to make every single save to keep this close or keep us ahead, it’ll be nice to get some goal support,” Knoblauch said. “There is no fault on Calvin at all for any of those goals, but it would be nice to have that lead.”
With the Oilers on the brink of elimination, it would make sense to ride with Skinner, as he remains the team’s starting goaltender. However, with the pressure on the team to find a way to pick up consecutive wins, that decision will ultimately come down to the coaching staff.
One thing is certain: whichever goalie it is, they need to play their best two games of the season.