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Oilers pull Stuart Skinner for Calvin Pickard amid Game 4 disaster vs. Panthers
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- Oilers pull Stuart Skinner for Calvin Pickard amid Game 4 disaster vs. Panthers
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The post Oilers pull Stuart Skinner for Calvin Pickard amid Game 4 disaster vs. Panthers appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Stuart Skinner has been removed from the ice during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Thursday night.
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The Edmonton netminder started the contest in front of the net and even made a highlight goal in the first period but gave up three goals before the end of the frame, forcing the Oilers to make the decision to pull him and send Calvin Pickard to take over the duties between the pipes, as noted by Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
This is the second game in a row where the Oilers have started Skinner before replacing him mid-game with Pickard. In Game 3, Skinner was pulled after allowing five goals in a 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Sunrise. Pickard took over in patrolling the crease for Edmonton, but also surrendered a goal on eight shots faced from Florida .
However, Pickard was sent to the ice in Game 3 with a victory seemingly out of reach of the Oilers. This time around, the move to replace Skinner with Pickard came in a lot earlier, with Edmonton looking to find ways to give itself a spark, with the Panthers dominating the contest early.
Pickard, a second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2010 NHL draft, entered Game 4 with a 6-0 record and a 2.87 goals against average but with just a .888 save percentage through eight appearances in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
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It remains to be seen whether Skinner will get the call to return to the game, but given the fact that the Oilers have since managed to tie the game at 3-3, it appears that Edmonton will stick with Pickard the rest of the way. The bigger question perhaps is whether Pickard will get the keys to start in Game 5 back in Edmonton, regardless of the result of Thursday evening's battle in Florida.
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