Calvin Pickard makes surprise start for Oilers against Predators

The Edmonton Oilers will give Calvin Pickard the start on Thursday night as the team visits the Nashville Predators.

It comes as a bit of a surprise given the Oilers schedule. Pickard’s previous start came last Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, with the team falling 5-2. Stuart Skinner, meanwhile, got the Sunday start against the Calgary Flames and Tuesday’s against the Philadelphia Flyers.

But given there’s been a full day of rest between those games and Thursday’s, the expectation was for Skinner to start against the Preds. He’ll likely draw in Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. matinee puck drop against the Dallas Stars.

“Obviously, the first game wasn’t his best, but we know that he’s always responded and had an outstanding season last year,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch of Pickard getting the start. “(We want him to) just come and play his game, because we have a lot of confidence in him. He’s a good goalie.”

Goaltending as a whole has been a sore spot for the Oilers so far this season. Skinner’s three starts has seen him post an .845 save percentage and a 4.42 goals against average, while Pickard has made one start, appearing in another, posting a .778 save percentage and 4.17 goals against average.

Both are far crys from where they were last year, with Skinner posting a .905 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average, and Pickard a .909 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average.

“It’s obviously a good chance to bounce back for me, personally,” Pickard said. “(It was) not the start I wanted against Chicago, but you have to have a short-term memory in this league and it’s a great opportunity.

“It’s a fun place to play and looking to continue on from what we did the other night.”

Thursday marks Pickard’s first start against Nashville since joining the Oilers, having struggled in his previous five starts against them during his time with the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coytoes and Detroit Red Wings, going 0-5 with a .902 save percentage and a 3.57 goals against average. Four of those starts have seen him give up three or more goals.

The Oilers as a whole have loved playing against the Preds, however. In their last 10 games since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Oilers have gone 10-1-1, outscoring them 54-29, with Leon Draisaitl (19-14—33), Connor McDavid (7-24—31), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (5-15—20) and Zach Hyman (6-7—13) leading the way offensively.

The game is set to start at 6:00 p.m. MST.