Pickard’s poised play gives Oilers confidence in first-round NHL playoff series do sex sex to

Twelve seasons into his NHL tenure, Calvin Pickard is playing some of the biggest games of his career. The 33-year-old Edmonton Oilers goalie started the playoffs on the bench, backing up starter Stuart Skinner. But when Edmonton stumbled through two losses to open their best-of-seven series against the L.A. Kings, Pickard was elevated to the No. 1 job.He went on to backstop the Oilers to three straight wins, including a 3-1 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday.“It feels good getting your name called early,” said Pickard, who stopped 21 shots as Edmonton improved to 3-2 in the first-round matchup.“I just want to go out and do my job. I’ve been saying it all year. And playing behind our team, it’s a blessing for me. And I just want to keep continuing to do what I can do to help the team win.” Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-10","lazy":false,"targeting":{"pos":10,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-10"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-10","lazy":false,"targeting":{"pos":10,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-10"},"companion":false} ); } View image in full screen Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard speaks to reporters at Rogers Place on March 20, 2024. Global News Pickard now has a 3-0 record with a .904 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average this post-season.The six-foot-one, 206-pound netminder from Moncton, N.B., also made 36 regular-season appearances, posting a 22-10-1 record with a .900 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average.It was the most games he had played since the 2016-17 campaign when Pickard was a member of the Colorado Avalanche, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. “He’s played a lot of hockey this year. We’ve played well in front of him,” said Edmonton winger Zach Hyman.“Picks is making every save he needs to make. As a player, that gives you confidence that if you go out and do your job, everything is going to work out.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Picks is making every save he needs to make. As a player, that gives you confidence that if you go out and do your job, everything is going to work out." Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-11","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":11,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-11"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-11","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":11,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-11"},"companion":false} ); } Skinner, 26, was the Oilers’ starter for much of the regular season and put up a 26-18-4 record with a .896 save percentage, a 2.81 goals-against average and three shutouts.He struggled early in the playoffs, though, giving up 11 goals on 58 shots across the first two games.This is the second year in a row Pickard has assumed the starter’s net midway through a post-season series. 1:38 Excitement builds amongst Oilers fans ahead of Game 5 against Kings Excitement builds amongst Oilers fans ahead of Game 5 against Kings Edmonton prepares for different kind of oil boom Edmonton Oilers fans gear up for 2025 playoff run Fans prepare for Game 3 between Oilers and Kings at Edmonton’s Ice District Oilers prepare for crucial Game 3 against Kings Edmonton Oilers fans react to Game 2 loss, series now 0-2 Edmonton Ice District prepares for Oilers playoff push Grade 2 class gets new Oilers artifacts added to Royal Alberta Museum Previous Video Next Video Head coach Kris Knoblauch replaced Skinner with Knoblauch for two games during Edmonton’s second-round matchup against the Vancouver Canucks last year, and Edmonton went on to win in seven games.The Oilers returned to Skinner later in the second round and stuck with him as they powered through to the Stanley Cup final, ultimately losing to the Florida Panthers in a seven-game set. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-12","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":12,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-12"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-12","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":12,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-12"},"companion":false} ); } “I just think we’ve been fortunate. We have two good goalies, we feel confident in either one,” Knoblauch said. “And we can put either one in the net and feel like we can win that night.” Trending Now Meet the man who ousted Pierre Poilievre: ‘Someone had to stand up’ Pierre Poilievre loses Carleton riding he’s held for 20 years For Pickard, the difference this year is timing.Instead of going through the entire first round as the backup, the veteran netminder was pressed into action just nine days after his last regular-season game.“Towards the end of the regular season, I got a decent amount of games to feel ready. Last year, I was off for quite a while before I stepped in against Vancouver,” he said. “But I felt ready to go for Game 3.“I know I’ve just got to go out and do my job, and we’ve been playing well since I’ve been in there. It’s been good.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I know I've just got to go out and do my job, and we've been playing well since I've been in there. It's been good." Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-13","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":13,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-13"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-13","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":13,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-13"},"companion":false} ); } Knoblauch has long said the Oilers will need both goalies for a long playoff run, and Pickard’s mindset means he’s always eager to play.“He’s a gamer. He’s ready. He likes the pressure,” the coach said. “And a lot of credit to him because there’s been long stretches where he has not played and we’ve put him in the net and said ‘We need a big game from you.'”The Oilers will have a chance to close out the series Thursday when they host the Kings for Game 6.