At the heart of the Edmonton Oilers' season-worst five-game losing streak entering Saturday night, was an inability to keep the puck out of their own net. They allowed 26 combined goals, with the poorest showing coming versus the Washington Capitals in a 7-3 loss.
Calvin Pickard got the start that particular night and you can understand if there was some angst among Oilers fans, with him again between the pipes for Saturday's game in Carolina. However, any concerns will dispelled soon enough, as he starred in a hard-fought 3-1 win.
Pickard had arguably his best performance of the 2024-25 campaign, as he stopped all but one of the 36 shots he faced, for a season-best .972 save percentage. He was justly rewarded with the First Star of the Game.
The 32-year-old repeatedly came up big with key stops throughout the night, with none bigger than an out of this world save inside the final minute following an unnecessary giveaway, with the game still delicately poised at 2-1. Overall, he gave the type of performance with the Oilers need to be seeing more regularly from Stuart Skinner, who still can't find the consistency expected of a number one.
Oilers teammates in awe of Calvin Pickard
Adam Henrique raved about the performance of Pickard when addressing the media postgame. As per Jamie Umbach of NHL.com, He said: "He's making the big saves and there's rebounds. He's battling right to the bitter end to cover it up or get it out of there, so it's a huge game by him and a big reason for the win."
Teammate Leon Draisaitl, who saw his seven-game goal-scoring streak ended but notched two assists, was similarly delighted with how Pickard played on the night. Also as per Umbach, he said: "He was great. He gives us a chance to win every night. I think everybody in our room loves him. He's just a great teammate to have and we love playing for him. So yeah, he was great – especially that breakaway late."
As is often the case with any Oilers player receiving praise, they prefer to deflect to the team as a whole, with Pickard being no different. As per Mark Spector of Sportsnet, he said: "We're a great team. Obviously we're in a big slump, and we've been playing some really good teams too that have been playing good hockey. But we needed to come in and have a full 60, a great game, and we did that."
As much as the Oilers can beat anyone on their day, calling them a great team seems debatable despite the win over the Hurricanes. Yes they have some great, almost otherworldly individual players, but the overall consistency needed to be a great team, is still lacking.
Another milestone for Oilers superstar
On the subject of great individual players, when Connor McDavid assisted on Evan Bouchard's last-second goal which made it 3-1 to the Oilers, it marked a special achievement for number 97. He became the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach 700 assists, achieving it in 699 games.
McDavid will be the first to admit he's not been at his best since returning from scoring the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament winner. However, Oilers fans will hope this latest milestone can motivate him to get back on track.
As for the team as a whole, they were just relieved to come away from their five-game road trip out East with at least one win. Speaking to the media after the game, as per Umbach, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said: "That would have been a long flight back if we would have lost that. But I think a lot of guys should feel good about themselves because they worked hard to get a win out here. Obviously, the road trip wasn't to our standards with the wins and losses, but it was nice to get this one tonight."
With the win, the Oilers move to within two points of the Vegas Golden Knights at the top of the Pacific Division, albeit having played a game more. Next up they return to Edmonton for a three-game homestand, beginning with the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
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