Goaltending can make or break a team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Edmonton Oilers are facing a fascinating decision as they gear up for the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. After dispatching the Vegas Golden Knights in five games, the Oilers are riding high, but a key injury update on goalie Calvin Pickard has sparked intrigue about who will guard the net in the crucial series against the Dallas Stars.
NHL insider Evan Renaearts dropped a bombshell on X, tweeting, “Looking like #Oilers goalie #pickard will not be back so this next round of the western conference finals in the #NHL will #Skinners net. For Oilers fans the good news is he finished up the last series playing his best hockey of the year.” This update suggests Stuart Skinner, who stepped up with back-to-back shutouts to close out Vegas, is poised to take the reins. Skinner’s calm, controlled play in those games—marked by sharper movements and better positioning—has Oilers fans buzzing about his potential to carry the team forward.
But let’s not count out Calvin Pickard just yet. Before his injury in Game 2 against the Golden Knights, Pickard was a perfect 6-0 in playoff starts this year. Stepping in for Skinner midway through Game 2 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, he had the Oilers’ defense feed off his energy, battling just as hard in front of him as he did in the crease.
However, data from the last 100 regular-season goals and every playoff goal allowed reveals a chink in Pickard’s armor: screens. Of the 85 goals he allowed in the regular season, 24 (over 25%) came with traffic in front, well above the tracked average of 15.1%. The Kings exploited this in the first round with four screened goals, and Vegas added one via Alex Pietrangelo’s low shot from the blue line in Game 2.
Looking like #Oilers goalie #pickard will not be back so this next round of the western conference finals in the #NHL will #Skinners net. For Oilers fans the good news is he finished up the last series playing his best hockey of the year.
— Evan Renaerts (@revingev) May 20, 2025
If Pickard returns healthy, Edmonton faces a tough call. That’s because Skinner, despite dropping the first two games against the Kings, found his groove against Vegas, posting those two shutouts to seal the series. That’s huge considering where he was earlier in the season.
Stuart Skinner wins the Edmonton Oilers community’s trust after helping them qualify for the Conference Finals
Stuart Skinner’s journey from catching shade to stealing the spotlight is the kind of redemption arc Edmonton Oilers fans will be talking about for years. He finished his regular season campaign with a .896 save percentage over 51 games—a far cry from the kind of numbers he had put up in the preceding campaigns. Oilers Nation wasn’t holding back. In March, after a brutal loss to the Sabres, who hadn’t won since February, one fan tweeted, “The Sabres were on a 6-game losing streak… then they played Stuart Skinner’s Oilers.” Ouch. The vibes were low, and Skinner was feeling the heat.
But fast-forward to the playoffs, and Skinner’s rewriting the script like a Hollywood hero. In a heart-pounding Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena, he turned into a human wall, stopping all 24 shots Vegas threw his way. When Kasperi Kapanen sniped the game-winner at 7:14 in OT, it wasn’t just a 1-0 victory—it was a statement. Edmonton sent the defending champs packing and punched their ticket to the Western Conference Final for the second year in a row. Pure chaos, pure glory.
The fans? They’re eating their words and loving it. One die-hard posted, “I never want to hear an unkind word uttered against Stuart Skinner,” while another hyped, “Back-to-back shutouts for Stuart Skinner. What a f—— turnaround.” From X roasts to rooftop chants, Skinner’s gone from scapegoat to legend. And it’s not just Game 5—he was lights-out in the previous game too, proving he’s got the clutch gene.
Skinner himself said it best back in March, “I just want to show up, even when things aren’t going as well as I’d like.” Well, he’s showing up now, and Oil Country’s dreaming big. With their goalie locking it down and the team firing on all cylinders, the Oilers are skating toward glory, and Skinner is leading the charge.
The post Edmonton Oilers’ Goalie Situation Gets Revealed as NHL Insider Provides Update on Calvin Pickard appeared first on EssentiallySports.