5 questions Oilers must answer during 6-game road trip

2) Will the goaltending recover or is a move needed?

Things had been going so well for Stuart Skinner recently. He had gone 10-2-0 record in his previous 12 starts, recording a .914 save percentage and 2.30 Goals Against Average in the process.

Then came Thursday night at home to the Lightning, when the winning streak was stopped emphatically with the aforementioned 7-4 loss. And Skinner was squarely to blame, as he allowed five goals on just 22 shots.

In fairness, the Edmonton native stood up and accepted it was his fault; that his team had played well and he let them down. The question is, will this be a one-off, or could it lead to more performances akin to those he produced earlier in the season?

At one point, Skinner had the third-worst save percentage in the NHL among all goaltenders. He also had a 1-5-1 record in his first seven starts, while also allowing four goals in a relief appearance in the season opener.

Not helping the goalie situation, was Calvin Pickard’s most recent start in the 5-1 home loss to the Panthers. After previously looking good in three appearances for the Oilers, it all went wrong on Saturday night.

In fairness to Pickard, he was probably only to blame for two of the five goals, but by the same token he never came through with the crucial save. When it was all said and done, he’d stopped 34 of the 39 shots he faced.

We should also mention that Jack Campbell continues to disappoint in Bakersfield. His most recent start on Saturday night, saw him pulled just past the halfway point of the game versus the Firebirds, after he allowed four goals on 21 shots.

Given all of this combined, the previous concerns about the Oilers’ goalie position have returned. How they perform during these upcoming six games, will have a big influenced on whether or not Ken Holland and company decide it’s finally time to pull the trigger on a trade.