When the Edmonton Oilers got off to a slow start for the second consecutive season, it was down to the collective struggles of the team as opposed to one specific area. However, this didn't stop critics focusing in on the issues of the goaltender position.
Stuart Skinner has built a reputation as an extremely talented, but also inconsistent player between the pipes. Yes, he usually seems to come up big when it matters most, but this doesn't lessen the frustration felt regarding his up-and-down performances.
Calvin Pickard didn't struggle quite to the same degree, but he did still face some challenges of his own. As a result, talk about the Oilers' need to look for goalie help began early on in the 2024-25 campaign.
A couple of the names that have been mentioned, include John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks and Zach Fucale, who briefly played for the Washington Capitals, but these days is an elite goalie in the KHL. However, there is now at least an argument to be made, that the Oilers' need to strengthen the goalie position is no longer necessary.
Both goalies getting their act together
As the Oilers have turned around their slow start to the season, it should come as no surprise that Skinner and Pickard specifically have played better. Without their improved contributions, this team would not have won 11 of their past 13 games and posted the best pre-Christmas break record of the Connor McDavid era.
This can be best evidenced by the Oilers ranking ninth-best in the NHL ahead of Saturday's slate of action, in terms of allowing an average of 2.79 goals per game. Although we appreciate the doubters will counter this by pointing at the team goalie save percentage of .897, which only ranks 20th-best in the league.
As such, the best thing we can do is present how Skinner and Pickard have played month-by-month this season. To do this we have focused on three specific statistics, including Goals Against Average (GAA), save percentage and five-on-five save percentage, first taking a look at Skinner.
Skinner | GAA | Save % | 5-on-5 Save % |
|---|---|---|---|
October | 3.51 | .872 | .890 |
November | 2.78 | .898 | .908 |
December | 2.30 | .914 | .926 |
If you're going to have a reputation for being inconsistent, this can (theoretically) be minimised or perceived with some positivity, if you at least improve as you proceed. This is clearly the case with Skinner to date, with him producing some excellent stats so far in December.
If you could replicate the 2023 All-Star's December over the course of a full season, they would all be career-bests, but of course it doesn't work like that. In any event, if he can continue to at least match the productivity of this month for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign, the Oilers will be just fine.
GAA | Save % | 5-on-5 Save % | |
|---|---|---|---|
October | 2.48 | .897 | .943 |
November | 2.53 | .892 | .893 |
December | 2.02 | .919 | .935 |
As we can see, Pickard was decent enough in October, but saw his dip come in November before recovering and similarly producing his best month yet of the season to date. Keep an eye on his GAA moving forward, with his 2.37 for the season right there with his best ever GAA of 2.35, which came in his rookie year back in 2014-15.
Some may say that the Oilers should trade for a goalie, just to provide Skinner with some quality backup if nothing else. However, the play of Pickard in general both this season and last (including his three appearances in the playoffs), leads us to believe he is a more than capable and reliable cover for his teammate.
To be clear, we're not claiming outright that the Oilers shouldn't consider trading for a goalie to strengthen the position as a whole, and we have no doubt Stan Bowman and company are keep an eye on possibilities around the NHL. However, if Skinner and Pickard continue to perform as they have done of late, the team should be just fine.