EDM game 4 skinner pickard

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Edmonton Oilers could be contemplating a goalie change for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, MAX, CBC, SN, TVAS).

"We haven't decided," coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday. "We'll announce that before the game."

Knoblauch did not reveal his starting goalie Wednesday.

Stuart Skinner started the first three games of the series but was pulled at 3:27 of the third period Monday after allowing five goals on 23 shots. Calvin Pickard stopped seven of eight in the 6-1 loss.

The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 2-1.

Skinner also allowed five goals in Game 2 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Friday, a 5-4 loss in double overtime. He has given up 13 goals on 97 shots in the series thus far (3.74 goals-against average, .866 save percentage).

"We've got to be better … we've got to help him, for sure," Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "I think that he's been playing unbelievable in the last, what, three, four, five weeks. I don't know how long it's been now, but it feels like a long time and he hasn't had a bad game.

“Maybe (Monday) night was one of those when it was good to get it out of the system. Hopefully it's one of those, a night off, but I've got all the confidence in the world that our (defense) corps, our defensive game, our goalie is going to step up big in Game 4."

There's precedent for Edmonton to turn to Pickard for Game 4.

Pickard replaced Skinner late in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings, a 6-2 loss that put the Oilers down 2-0 in the series. He started Game 3 and made 24 saves in a 7-4 win, starting a stretch of six consecutive victories.

He posted a 2.84 GAA and an .888 save percentage during the winning streak, but an injury forced him out of the lineup for Game 3 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Skinner returned and made 20 saves in a 4-3 loss that ended on Reilly Smith's last-second goal. He went 7-2 with a 1.83 GAA, a .929 save percentage and three shutouts in the Oilers’ next nine games before struggling in Game 3 of the Cup Final.

"Just talking about (Monday) night, we're down 5-1 at the time, we're not playing very well in front of him, I don't think it's fair for him to stick in it and play through it," Knoblauch said.

But Knoblauch also indicated turning to Pickard in that spot could have ramifications for the rest of the series, potentially as soon as Thursday.

"Here we've got a goaltender, 'Picks,' who has been pretty good, 6-0 in the playoffs, hasn't played," Knoblauch said. "Whether we use him again, there's a little opportunity for him to get some playing time so when we do use him he's a little more comfortable when he goes in that net.

“So, I think it's one, allowing 'Picks' some playing time just in case we do need him, choose to use him at a certain point, but also give ‘Stu’ some time off and not have him play through that circumstance."

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