Skinner will start Game 3, Pickard day-to-day
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will start Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, head coach Kris Knoblauch announced, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
Saturday's appearance will be Skinner's first since Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.
"Fortunately, we've got a great backup option (in Skinner), and when I say backup, he was our starter for all of the year," Knoblauch said. "He's ready to go. We're lucky to have two quality goaltenders."
Calvin Pickard, who started Edmonton's last six contests, missed the morning skate and is considered day-to-day. He appeared shaken up after Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl fell on his left leg during Game 2, though he remained in the contest.
Tomas Hertl fell on Calvin Pickard's left leg and he was in some discomfort 🤕 pic.twitter.com/im0tNtaEkr
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 9, 2025
Referees didn't call a penalty on the play, and Vegas scored the equalizer a few minutes later to force overtime. Pickard made seven saves in the extra frame en route to Edmonton's 5-4 victory.
The 33-year-old hasn't lost a game in these playoffs. Pickard is just the third goalie in Oilers history to begin a postseason 6-0, joining Andy Moog (1983) and Grant Fuhr (1985), according to Sportsnet.
Pickard owns an .888 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average this postseason.
Skinner struggled in his two appearances against the Kings, logging an .810 clip and 6.11 goals against average while allowing 11 goals on 58 shots.
"Not the situation that we probably want to be in, but I mean, that's playoffs," Skinner said Saturday. "You need two goalies to go all the way, so yeah, I'm excited to go back into the net. I've had some time to work on some things, and I'm ready to go."
Skinner added, "I've been here before, so nothing's that new to me. It's an opportunity again for me to go into the net and do my job and just give these guys a chance to win. It's all I can do."
Skinner faced the Golden Knights in the second round of the 2023 postseason. He recorded an .875 clip and 3.97 goals against average as Vegas eliminated Edmonton in six games.
The 26-year-old played against Vegas three times during the regular season. He went 1-2-0 with a .924 save percentage.
The Oilers hold a 2-0 series lead over the Golden Knights. The puck drops on Game 3 at 9 p.m. ET in Edmonton.