Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard plays during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Calvin Pickard, the lone goalie with a 4-0 record, was among the surprises emerging from the first round of NHL playoffs.
Light on previous playoff experience, the 33-year-old from Moncton drew in for Stuart Skinner when the Edmonton Oilers were down 2-0 in their series with the Los Angeles Kings.
Pickard and the Oilers won four in a row, including a 6-4 decision at home Thursday to close out the best-of-seven series in Game 6.
“It means a lot,” Pickard said. “Coming in Game 3, you don’t want to chase results. You just want to go out and do your job.
“My job is just to hit the ball back, make the saves when I can and I did that for the back half of the game. We have the ability to score a lot of goals and we put a lot in tonight, so my job is to let one less than the other guy.”
It was a high-scoring series with Edmonton outgunning Los Angeles 27-24.
“We played really well all four games,” Pickard said. “I don’t know how many goals we scored in the four games I played, but I just had to keep it out at the right times.”
Pickard’s goals-against average was 2.93 and his save percentage .893.
He repelled L.A.’s Warren Foegele on a breakaway in the first minute of Thursday’s second period when the hosts led 3-2.
“Picks gave us a chance every night,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
Pickard replaced Skinner for a pair of games in last year’s second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks.
He went 1-1 in the first playoff starts of his career before Skinner retook Edmonton’s net.
“I was never doubtful to throw him in because we kind of ripped the Band-Aid off last year,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Put him in a very stressful, almost a must-win game against Vancouver and he responded tremendously and gave us a lot of confidence.
“This year, it was a lot easier to give him the net.”
Pickard’s career was on a downward trajectory after playing 50 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2016-17.
He struggled to regain a foothold in the NHL. Pickard started just 19 games over the next six seasons for Toronto, Philadelphia, Arizona and Detroit, but spent the majority of those years in the minors.
When he signed with the Oilers in 2022, he spent that season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
“I never stopped believing in myself,” Pickard said. “If you’re not believing in yourself, you’re not going to be successful.
“I played some good hockey in those years since I played 50 games in Colorado. I was always building that game and that confidence to get back to this level.
“I always thought I could play at this level, but I got that opportunity last year and I’m blessed to play behind such a good team. It gave me that confidence and here we are and it’s an exciting time for sure.”
Pickard got into 23 games with the Oilers in 2023-24, but his 31 starts this season were the most since his last season with Colorado.
His record was 22-10-1 with a .900 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.71.
Pickard started eight of Edmonton’s final 11 games of the regular season for a 5-3 record after Skinner was concussed March 26.
“Played a little bit more than expected probably at the start of the year,” Pickard said.
“It was good to get into a rhythm towards the end of the season there with Skins’s injury. I was playing really good hockey. It was probably my best hockey of the year heading into playoffs.
“I was ready if called upon and I was called upon pretty early. I just want to keep it going.”
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