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Are the Oilers strong enough in net?

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Finnegan Frost
September 29, 2024 (10:57)

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Photo credit: Oilers Nation

Concerns are starting to be raised over the Oilers strength between the pipes as Calvin Pickard was forced to leave the game against the Seattle Kraken.

Yesterday, the Oilers played hosts to the Seattle Kraken, edging them out in a thrilling 5-4 comeback win. Although it was a good moral victory for the troops, having Pickard out of the game was a tough blow for the Oilers.

As per Zach Laing from Oilers Nation, The Oilers would mount a comeback 5-4 win, but a harsh reality hit them a little under 12 minutes into the game, when Saturday's starter Calvin Pickard left the game. It happened when Kraken forward Yanni Gourde drove the net on a two-on-two, pushing Oilers centre Noah Philp into his own netminder.

Pickard stayed down on the ice for a moment, eventually leaving with Olivier Rodrigue, the number three in the organization, coming in to play the remainder of the game. Rodrigue, who has been shaky so far in the preseason, continued that trend, allowing three goals against on 22 shots.

During a post game interview, head coach Kris Knoblauch spoke to his confidence regarding his goaltenders.

«We have two goaltenders we feel really confident in, they played really well for us last year and are injuy free,» he said. «I would hope that would be the case again going into this year, but if that happens when one of them is injured, yeah, we have confidence in him, just because he played so well last year.

«We have another goalie we have confident (in) too in Collin Delia, so we have options. We have two good goalies we know we can count on if need be. But, like I said, I'd like to stay with the two we have.»

The Oilers goaltending already undergoes quite a bit of scrutiny regarding Stuart Skinner being a true Stanley Cup goaltender. Although Pickard was solid as a backup last season, Evan Rodrigue is not a viable option for the backup position quite yet.

As of Saturday night, there's no indication of how serious Pickard's injury is or if his removal from the game was just precautionary at a time of year when the games carry no weight. But it sparks a bigger conversation about the overall depth of the goaltending position in the organization.

source: Oilers Nation
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