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The Florida Panthers are expecting to see Calvin Pickard in net for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight.
Why?
Because everyone else is, too.
Pickard has come in to replace starter Stuart Skinner in each of the past two games.
In Game 3, it was pretty much garbage time; the Panthers were up 5-1 on Monday night when Pickard came in with Florida eventually winning 6-1.
On Thursday, Skinner gave up three goals in a first period Florida absolutely dominated.
Skinner never really had a chance with Matthew Tkachuk scoring a pair of power play goals and Anton Lundell coming in unabated after Carter Verhaeghe separated Troy Stetcher from the puck along the end boards.
Pickard came in to start the second and it coincided with the Oilers deciding they were going to come to play.
“It’s a difficult decision,’’ Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday morning. “Ultimately you’re putting the blame on one guy and that’s not fair, because no one else is getting pulled from the game. But we felt we needed to change something and obviously it worked last night but it doesn’t always. We need to play better in front of whoever is in net and second, third and overtime we played much better than we did in the first.”
Pickard made 10 saves in the second period, gave up the game-tying goal to Sam Reinhart in the final seconds of the third — but that was it.
Pickard is 7-0 in these playoffs but has not made a start since Round 2 when he was injured after getting hit by Tomas Hertl.
Friday, Knoblauch would not commit to a starting goalie, following the same line he did earlier in the week.
“Both goalies have been really good and key for us to getting here,’’ Knoblauch said. “Stu, since Picks’ injury, came in and played some really good games. The Vegas series, Dallas series and anytime we haven’t been strong in front of him, it’s unfortunate like last night in the first period.
“We weren’t at our best and it puts the goalie in a vulnerable position. As a coach, we make that switch and Picks comes in and makes some huge, huge saves. It’s nice we’ve got a nice tandem that they’re going back and forth and each one has been really solid for us.”
The Panthers, while planning for Pickard, said it does not matter to them who is in goal.
“Obviously [Pickard] played really well. He saved some big scoring chances, but it doesn’t change what we’re trying to do on the ice,’’ Sasha Barkov said. “The second period was a good period by them. They played really well offensively, and we didn’t get much going offensively as well. All we’ve got to do is just concentrate on the next one.”
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