Pickard's 'spectacular' play gives Oilers spark in Game 4 of Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Calvin Pickard may have saved the season for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Pickard made 22 saves in relief in a 5-4 overtime win against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, but none was bigger than his outstanding glove stop on forward Sam Bennett at 6:48 of overtime.

Pickard, who had replaced Stuart Skinner for the second straight game at the start of the second period, slid across the crease and got just enough of Bennett’s one-timer from the right circle that it deflected up and hit off the crossbar.

“I kind of read it pretty well, and then I looked in my glove and it wasn’t there,” Pickard said. “Then I heard the crowd oohing and aahing and it was a good bounce.”

The bounce allowed Leon Draisaitl the opportunity to score the game-winner at 11:18 to tie the best-of-7 series 2-2.

“The situations that he gets put in sometimes, they’re not always easy,” Draisaitl said. “We’re down 3-0, he’s coming in, he’s cold and it’s not easy. He makes those stops at the key moments that we really need them. He’s one of the best in the League at making the right save at the right time. He’s been nothing but spectacular for us.”

Pickard provided a much-needed spark for Edmonton, which trailed 3-0 entering the second period. He prevented the Panthers from extending their lead by making 10 saves in the second, during which the Oilers scored three times to tie the game.

Defenseman Jake Walman then gave Edmonton a 4-3 lead at 13:36 of the third, but Sam Reinhart tied it for the Panthers at 19:40 with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky pulled for the extra attacker. It was the only goal Pickard would concede in the game.

“Our team was flat. We needed to change things up and it was great the way [Pickard] played," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "He made some really big saves. I didn’t think there was many shots in the second period, but there was a couple of really good quality ones that he came up with.

“As the game went on, the one in overtime, he got his glove on it just enough to keep that from going in, and it was great to see him make the saves when we needed them.”

Thursday’s performance was the latest chapter in an impressive postseason for Pickard.

He first got the call to start for the Oilers in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round after Edmonton dropped the first two games to the Los Angeles Kings. Pickard responded by helping Edmonton win the next four games to eliminate Los Angeles before carrying that performance into the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, after winning Game 1 of that series, he sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-4 overtime win in Game 2 that forced Skinner back into the starting role.

When Pickard was ready to return in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, Skinner was on a roll, having earned a shutout in three of his past five starts. As a result, Skinner would remain the starter and help the Oilers advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season.

“Obviously, when I got hurt it was frustrating. Things were going really well, and then [Skinner] hopped in there and played great,” Pickard said. “I felt for him today. He came ready to play today, he made some big saves early, we just didn’t have it as a team early and I think [Knoblauch] just wanted to switch it up. If he was playing behind our team in the second and third and overtime, he would have done what I did, too."

The question now, though, is whether Pickard will get the start for the Oilers in Game 5 at Rogers Place on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).

“It was outstanding for him to be able to come in off the bench and make some massive saves at huge times,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “Stu didn’t play bad at all, it just comes down to us giving them too many easy looks and not winning battles and not getting pucks out. Stu still had to make some great saves, and obviously when you have a team like that, when they put up almost 20 shots in the first period it’s tough to stop them all.”

Pickard and Skinner have combined to win 14 of the 16 games required to claim the Stanley Cup. Pickard is 7-0 with a 2.69 goals-against average and .896 save percentage in nine games (six starts). Skinner is 7-6 with a 2.99 GAA, .891 save percentage and three shutouts in 14 starts.

“We have extreme confidence in both of our goalies, and Calvin coming in, I couldn’t be happier for him, too,” Walman said. “That’s a tough position for him to come in. The game is 3-0 and he’s got to grind, too. ... I guess it shows that anybody at anytime can make an impact, and we’re pumped for Calvin and we’re proud of him.”

Pickard's impact has helped Edmonton reclaim home-ice advantage as it tries to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990.

“Everyone that’s stepped into the lineup has contributed, but him, he’s had a high level for us as a group,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “We know his battle level and his compete, he’s another guy that leads by example. He’s been amazing for us.”