The Edmonton Oilers may be facing an unexpected goaltending dilemma after netminder Calvin Pickard left Saturday night’s preseason game against the Seattle Kraken due to an apparent injury. Pickard, who is slated to be the team’s backup this season, went down with just over eight minutes left in the first period. He was taken out after a collision with teammate Noah Philp forced him to exit.
The incident occurred when Seattle forward Yanni Gourde drove to the net in the first period, pushing Oilers center Noah Philp into Pickard. The goaltender went down awkwardly, immediately grabbing his facemask after shaking off his blocker. He eventually got up on his own and looked OK, but Pickard did not return to the game and was replaced by AHL goaltender Olivier Rodrigue.
Rodrigue, 24, came in relief and finished the remainder of the game. He played well enough to earn the win, making 19 saves on 22 shots against. He is the Oilers’ de facto number three goalie and he might be the No. 2 if Pickard misses any significant time.
After the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided a brief update, stating that Pickard was being evaluated and that the team hoped to have more information on his status by Sunday.
The Oilers Were Relying on Pickard to Play More This Season
Pickard, 31, was expected to serve as the backup to starter Stuart Skinner this season after signing a two-year deal with Edmonton in the offseason. He posted solid numbers in 23 regular season appearances last year, recording a 12-7-1 record, a .909 save percentage, and a 2.45 goals-against average. The hope was that he would get into more games, allowing Skinner to take more rest time.
Although it doesn’t appear that Pickard’s injury is serious, his premature exit was likely a precautionary move by the Oilers’ staff. However, if Pickard is sidelined for an extended period, Rodrigue could see his role expanded.
Rodrigue was expected to start the season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. He had a strong 2023-24 campaign with a 19-12-5 record, a .916 save percentage, and a 2.73 goals-against average.
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