Oilers' Pickard pulling out all the stops in prime time

Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard (30) makes a save during third period NHL action against the Seattle Kraken, in Edmonton on Monday, January 27, 2025. (Jason Franson / The Canadian Press)

EDMONTON — It has taken a long time for Calvin Pickard to finally find a secure position in an NHL net, but it is safe to say he has been everything the Edmonton Oilers could have asked for and more this season.

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Pickard made 26 saves and helped the Oilers weather a rocky start against the Seattle Kraken as Edmonton won its third game in a row and moved back into first place in the Pacific Division with a 4-2 victory in captain Connor McDavid’s return from a three-game suspension.

“We’re an explosive team,” Pickard said. “I think there’s been a lot of games where I’ve played this year where we’re down after the first, but we’re not getting discouraged. We expect to come back in games and play really well when we’re down.”

The 32-year-old journeyman goalie is now 13-4-0 on the season playing behind usual starter Stuart Skinner and an impressive 9-1 in his last 10 starts. Pickard’s play has been a big part of the Oilers winning 11 of their last 14 games and going 22-6-1 in their last 29 contests.

“First and foremost, it is nice playing behind such a good team — a team that knows how to win and expects to win every single night,” Pickard said. “I just have to go out there and do my job and trust that my teammates will do theirs and they’ve been doing that.”

His 13-4-0 record this season and 2.50 goals against average coming into the contest is not bad for a guy who looked stuck in the minor leagues even as late as the start of last season.

Pickard, a second-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2010, bounced around five different NHL organizations before signing on with the Oilers and serving as a goalie for their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors for the entire 2022-23 season.

It looked like it would be more of the same to start last year, but Oilers starter Jack Campbell struggled badly and usual backup Skinner was thrust into the starting job, with Pickard being called up for what was initially thought to likely be a brief stint as the No. 2 man in Edmonton.

He proved to be more than a capable backup with a 12-7-1 record and won a big game against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the playoffs. This season he has been even more reliable.

“He’s a rock. He goes in there, he plays hard, and he gives us a chance to win each and every night,” said Oilers veteran forward Corey Perry, who scored the game winner on Monday.

“He’s got a tough assignment, coming in every few games and being ready to play. But he’s a true professional. He does it every game, and we have all the confidence in the world in him.”

Playing the Kraken wasn’t Pickard’s usual expected spot in the rotation, but Skinner welcomed the birth of a son on Monday and was given time to be with his wife Chloe.

“I knew it was close to kid time for him,” Pickard said. “I got a text that he was heading to the hospital last night, so I went to bed preparing to play. It felt like a similar game day to the rest of them. It was nice, a good win.”

The Oilers signed University of Alberta netminder Tyler Palmer to an amateur tryout to serve as Pickard’s backup for the game.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2025.

Shane Jones, The Canadian Press