VANCOUVER, BC – Goaltender Calvin Pickard will make his second straight start for the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night in Game 5 of their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
"I just want to go out when called upon and do my job," Pickard said. "I'm grateful for that opportunity in Game 4. The guys played really well in front of me and we're looking to do the same tonight."
The 32-year-old netminder made 19 saves for the Oilers in their 3-2 victory on Tuesday that evened the series at 2-2 ahead of tonight's pivotal contest, which will see one team pushed to the brink of elimination before heading back in Oil Country for Game 6 on Saturday.
"Obviously, it's tied two right now," Pickard added. "We did what we set out to do in Game 4. We had a great effort, a really good finish with the goal at the end, and now it's the best of three. It's another exciting opportunity for us to come in here and get a win, and that's what we're going to do."
Despite the low shot total, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said that Pickard looked as steady as ever and deserves another start for how he performed during the pressure situations on Tuesday to help even up the series for Edmonton.
"I thought he looked really comfortable the other day," Knoblauch said. "He made some solid saves and played the puck really well. "Probably the biggest thing is just how comfortable you are playing the puck behind the net; when you have pressure to make the right decision. He made all the right decisions and made some big saves for us through the night. Unfortunately, later in the game during the third period, some unfortunate bounces but a pretty strong performance from Picks."
