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 CrusaderPi
Messages: 7714
Registered: December 2003
Location: AB Highway 100
6 Cups
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| Mike wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 09:21 |
| Adam wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 11:57 |
He's 1-2 in five AHL playoff appearances. He was 1-4 in five WHL appearances and 2-2 in the Manitoba U18 league...and that's it. That's the sum total of his experience.
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And Skinner now at 20GP has literally the worst SV% and GAA of any goalie in the cap era who has played as much as him. He has not really been good. In those 20 games, he has a few good/great games, a few average games, and several bad ones. He's been pulled in 25% of his career playoff starts!!! 5 times in 20 games! And this is not Mike Keenan behind the bench (nor was it last year). That has to be close to some kind of dubious record.
| Adam wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 11:57 |
He just is a complete long shot to come in and have a playoff for the ages. We are better off hoping that Skinner somehow catches lightning in a bottle again and plays like he did in our winning streak again. That's maybe a longshot, but it's happened, and recently. Pickard has nothing on his resume to compare.
I'm with CrusaderPi on this - if Pickard shines, then the coach looks good, but if he came in and also underwhelmed, then what card do you have left to play?
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He sure is a long shot. So was Adin Hill. So is Arturs Silovs - he wasn't great the first 2 games, but he was last night, and to close out the Preds.
I don't believe Pickard would come in and rattle off 11 wins in a row. But I believe it's worth a shot. And if giving him a shot tanks Skinner's confidence, well then I would put forth that's probably not the best guy to hitch your wagon to in the first place.
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Adin Hill isn't a great comparison. Not just because was the starter in San Jose the year before. The Golden Knights have a culture of cycling through underperforming players where as the Oilers let the same liabilities linger for years. Year after desperate year. The Knights knew they had risk in the net (Lehner was bad / injured / a snake farmer, Logan had injury issues so they brought in Quick, Hill, and Broissoit. I think they're high on the minor leaguer they drafted too). The Oilers also knew they had risk in net so they made sure Campbell had a really good offseason. That's it.
In any event Silovs and Hill's success is not an argument for Pickard. You only start Pickard if you think he gives you a better chance for success behind the Oilers D than Skinner. If anyone believes that, fine. I'll accept the argument. If you're just hoping a change somehow makes everything better the season is probably already lost.
Please do not feed the bears. Feeding the bears creates a dependent population unable to survive on their own. Bears.
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Dragon_Matt
Messages: 726
Registered: January 2009
Location: edmonton
No Cups
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I think you start Pickard for game 4 specifically because it's NOT the deciding game. There's a decent chance that it lights a fire under the Oil. They've been outworked and outskated every game so far (with the exception of the first 10 minutes of game 3) and still have managed 11 goals in 3 games.
We need a jump-start for game 4. Then if Pickard struggles the same as Skinner, you have an opportunity to go back to Skinner for game 5. If Pickard plays well, then it's a tougher choice between moving forward with the hot hand vs going back to your starter.
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Mike
Messages: 1241
Registered: August 2005
Location: Moncton, New Brunswick
1 Cup
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| CrusaderPi wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 12:43 |
In any event Silovs and Hill's success is not an argument for Pickard. You only start Pickard if you think he gives you a better chance for success behind the Oilers D than Skinner. If anyone believes that, fine. I'll accept the argument. If you're just hoping a change somehow makes everything better the season is probably already lost.
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I agree with you. It's not a hill I would die on - I (like most on this fan forum I would assume) am emotionally invested in this team's results, and I don't have much confidence in Skinner. I don't believe Pickard would be any worse. Sure he could come in and let in the first 5 shots - but so far in his career, he has the best playoff stats in NHL history.  And Skinner amongst the worst. The very worst by a lot in the cap era. Pulled in literally 25% of his starts.
If Pickard comes in and doesn't give us the big stops, or worse, lets in a couple soft ones, then you go back to Skinner. But just how a goalie change can sometimes energize a team during a game, maybe it does the same for the series. I just don't see a whole lot to lose by trying it - we're not taking out a guy on a heater or with any kind of playoff success.
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Adam
Messages: 6964
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB
6 Cups
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| Mike wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 10:31 |
| CrusaderPi wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 12:43 |
In any event Silovs and Hill's success is not an argument for Pickard. You only start Pickard if you think he gives you a better chance for success behind the Oilers D than Skinner. If anyone believes that, fine. I'll accept the argument. If you're just hoping a change somehow makes everything better the season is probably already lost.
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I agree with you. It's not a hill I would die on - I (like most on this fan forum I would assume) am emotionally invested in this team's results, and I don't have much confidence in Skinner. I don't believe Pickard would be any worse. Sure he could come in and let in the first 5 shots - but so far in his career, he has the best playoff stats in NHL history. And Skinner amongst the worst. The very worst by a lot in the cap era. Pulled in literally 25% of his starts.
If Pickard comes in and doesn't give us the big stops, or worse, lets in a couple soft ones, then you go back to Skinner. But just how a goalie change can sometimes energize a team during a game, maybe it does the same for the series. I just don't see a whole lot to lose by trying it - we're not taking out a guy on a heater or with any kind of playoff success.
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This is one of those areas where if we had to go to anyone as the guy to save the season, I'd want it to be Rodrigue. He at least has an untapped ceiling and you could hope for him to rise to the occasion. He's not a 32-year old who no one has ever trusted to play a minute of playoff hockey before.
The crazy thing is that the Oilers didn't even call that player back up. He's off in Mexico sipping margaritas or something now and Jack Campbell is the other back-up plan (and took a ton of development time away from young Oliver this season). We don't really plan for contingencies the way a team like Vegas does.
"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireLowe #FireBobbyNicks #FireKenHolland #FireKeithGretzky
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Adam
Messages: 6964
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB
6 Cups
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| Mike wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 09:21 |
So is Arturs Silovs - he wasn't great the first 2 games, but he was last night, and to close out the Preds.
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I will say, despite him making a few really good saves last night, we've still touched him for 11 goals in three games and he got a lot of help from us hitting the iron last night too. Had to be 4-5 posts.
Some of the conversation last night and today in the media is making it out that he's been some superhero - but while he absolutely outplayed Skinner, he has been beatable all series. If we keep up the pressure like that, we're likely to destroy them most games. I'm not at all scared of the Latvian and it won't surprise me if we put in 6 or 7 tomorrow.
"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireLowe #FireBobbyNicks #FireKenHolland #FireKeithGretzky
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 Kr55
Messages: 10150
Registered: May 2002
Location: Edmonton
6 Cups
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| Adam wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 13:30 |
| Mike wrote on Mon, 13 May 2024 09:21 |
So is Arturs Silovs - he wasn't great the first 2 games, but he was last night, and to close out the Preds.
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I will say, despite him making a few really good saves last night, we've still touched him for 11 goals in three games and he got a lot of help from us hitting the iron last night too. Had to be 4-5 posts.
Some of the conversation last night and today in the media is making it out that he's been some superhero - but while he absolutely outplayed Skinner, he has been beatable all series. If we keep up the pressure like that, we're likely to destroy them most games. I'm not at all scared of the Latvian and it won't surprise me if we put in 6 or 7 tomorrow.
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The bar for that kid is just winning games and we are helping write the story for him. It's the Oilers way. Choke some open nets, toss great shooting opportunities into a post or his crest. Completely stop playing hockey for 30 mins because we think we can sit on a lead. And of course have our own goalie being totally outplayed by a 3rd stringer is the icing on the cake.
We love making underdog goalies into heroes. Colorado or Dallas would probably have this kid calling for his mommy by now.
[Updated on: Mon, 13 May 2024 13:43]
"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013
"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015
5 x $5,000,000
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