Pickard was very hard on himself after slow Edmonton Oilers start in Chicago
The Edmonton Oilers narrowly avoided disaster on Saturday night, erasing multiple deficits to defeat the lowly Chicago Blackhawks.
It was not a pretty game by any means and one that saw the Oilers fall behind 2-0 in the first period before rallying in the final 40 to pick up the win. Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard was particularly shaky in the early stages as he was very slow to react to two shots that wound up in the back of his net.
The 32-year-old journeyman allowed three goals on 22 shots, giving him a putrid .864 SV% on the night. Despite coming up big in the game’s final minutes to help the Oilers hold onto a narrow 4-3 lead, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported that Pickard was hard on himself after the game.
“I think it’s safe to say the goalie was no good there for a while,” Pickard told Spec. “I didn’t like the way I started at all, 2-0. I was a little bit dopey, and there’s no excuse for that.”
Pickard post-game:
“I think it's safe to say the goalie was no good there for a while,” he said. “I didn't like the way I started at all, 2-0. I was a little bit dopey, and there's no excuse for that."Always respect a guy who can admit to a sub-par game. Everyone has 'em. https://t.co/VImkSfCcPi
— Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@SportsnetSpec) January 12, 2025
It’s been an up-and-down season so far for Pickard, though a look at his overall record would paint a different picture. He has a 10-4-0 record through 14 starts this year, signalling that the Oilers have had plenty of success when he is between the pipes. However, his underlying .896 SV% and -3.9 GSAx suggest that there is plenty of room for improvement.
He has had three straight starts where has failed to post a SV% above .890 and while he may be getting the wins, that should ring some alarm bells for an Oilers team hoping to play their way to another Stanley Cup Final. Pickard has been a serviceable backup for the Oilers this season, but one can’t help but think a more reliable backup could help Stuart Skinner out immensely down the stretch.
We’ll see if Oilers management makes a move or if Pickard can improve his play and convince the team to stick with him.