Pickard comes full circle for Oilers entering 2nd round

EDMONTON -- Calvin Pickard was the original Golden Knight.

When the new NHL team started announcing its picks in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, Pickard’s name was the first one called.

“Technically, [the expansion draft] was in the reverse order of the standings, and I was in Colorado and we were in last place, so I got announced first,” Pickard said. “I spent a month there in training camp, but I was gone by the time the season started.”

He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 6, the same day the Golden Knights played their first regular-season game. He played just one game for the Maple Leafs that season, and 33 for Toronto of the American Hockey League.

“I never really played there,” he said about Vegas.

Well, he could get his chance to play on The Strip now, this time in goal for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPSN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

He didn’t start the first two games of this postseason for the Oilers, each a loss at the Los Angeles Kings. He replaced Stuart Skinner in Game 2 and started the rest of the series, which the Oilers won in six games. He finished the series 4-0 with a 2.93 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.

It was a long and arduous journey back to the NHL for the 33-year-old since his final season in Colorado in 2016-17. He signed as a depth goalie with Edmonton on July 13, 2022, behind Jack Campbell and Skinner, and worked his way up from the AHL to earn the backup role.

Pickard spent the past two seasons in that role behind Skinner, but he is now on the verge of making his fifth consecutive start in the postseason and beginning an NHL playoff series as the starter for the first time.

“I never stopped believing in myself, and if you’re not believing in yourself you’re not going to be very successful,” Pickard said. “I played some good hockey in those years since I played 50 games in Colorado and I was always building my game and my confidence to get back to this level.

“I always thought I could play at this level. I got that opportunity last year and I’m blessed to play behind such a good team, and it gave me that confidence and here we are. It’s an exciting time for sure.”

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon, who was the assistant GM at the time of the expansion draft, said Pickard has earned his spot with Edmonton.

“He’s a great person, I’ve known him for many years, and he spent a lot of time in the American Hockey League after he left here,” McCrimmon said Monday. “He went to Toronto, was in the American League with their organization and was in the American League with Edmonton and was in a situation where somebody’s misfortune created an opportunity for Calvin and he’s made the most of it.”

Although Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has yet to reveal his starter for Game 1, Pickard was in the dedicated starter’s net -- closest to the team bench -- at practice Monday before the Oilers departed for Las Vegas.

“Right now, this is the most he’s played since probably his rookie year, 12 years ago,” Knoblauch said. “I know he’s learned a lot through the adversity of being that role, depth guy that he’s been though most of his career, but also through that time it’s allowed him to really enjoy this opportunity of being back in the NHL and not a guy that’s been up and down and used when needed.”

In his role as the backup to Skinner, Pickard is getting used to saving the day. He got the call for his first playoff start in Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Second Round last season and made 19 saves in a 3-2 win to tie the series 2-2.

Pickard got the call again in Game 5, making 32 saves in a 3-2 loss. Skinner returned for the last two games of the series, helping Edmonton advance to the Western Conference Final and then the Stanley Cup Final.

This season, Pickard started eight of the final 11 games of the regular season after Skinner sustained a head injury during a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars on March 26. Pickard was 22-10-1 with a 2.71 GAA and .900 save percentage in 36 games (31 starts) this season.

“Obviously, we have huge confidence in him,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. “We have big confidence in both of them, they give us a chance to win pretty much every night. They’ve been amazing, and obviously [Pickard] has been great since he’s been here.”

Pickard got the start the last time the Oilers played the Golden Knights, making 20 saves in a 3-2 win in Vegas on April 1. Edmonton was without injured forward Connor McDavid, defensemen Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg, and Skinner in that game.

“It was a good game, it was a playoff-style game in April, two great teams, pretty tight defensive game and everything is magnified when we play Vegas,” Pickard said. “You have to be detailed and limit our mistakes because they’re a well-rounded team with basically everything. It’s going to be an exciting challenge.”