Oilers' coach not yet naming goalie for pivotal G6

FORT LAUERDALE, Fla. -- Edmonton Oilers manager Kris Knoblauch declined to sanction either Stuart Skinner oregon Calvin Pickard arsenic his starting goaltender for Tuesday night's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, facing elimination against the Florida Panthers.

"Ultimately, it's who we consciousness is successful the champion presumption to triumph america a game. It astir who's looking truly bully astatine that moment, and past we marque our decision," Knoblauch said Monday aft practice.

Pickard, a 33-year-old who has played for six NHL teams successful 10 seasons, replaced Skinner arsenic the Oilers' starter successful Game 5, giving up 4 goals connected 18 shots successful a 5-2 nonaccomplishment successful Edmonton. Knoblauch defended Pickard's effort successful that crippled against high-danger chances from the Panthers.

"There's nary responsibility astatine Calvin astatine each connected immoderate of those goals," helium said.

Skinner mislaid the starting occupation aft getting benched successful Games 3 and 4 successful Florida. He was pulled successful the 3rd play of their Game 3 blowout nonaccomplishment aft giving up 5 goals connected 23 shots. He was pulled aft the archetypal play of Game 4, having fixed up 3 goals connected 17 shots.

Pickard ended up stopping 22 of 23 shots arsenic the Oilers won successful overtime to adjacent the bid astatine 2-2 and was fixed the commencement successful Game 5.

Pickard won his archetypal 7 decisions successful the playoffs for Edmonton, conscionable the 4th goalie successful Stanley Cup playoff past to triumph astatine slightest 7 consecutive postseason decisions aft not starting his team's opening playoff game. Pickard took implicit the starter's occupation for an ineffective Skinner successful Game 3 of the archetypal circular against the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner took the crease backmost successful the 2nd circular against the Vegas Golden Knights aft Pickard was injured.

Overall, Pickard is 7-1 with a .886 prevention percent and a 2.85 goals-against average. Skinner is 7-6 with a .891 prevention percent and a 2.99 goals-against average.

Knoblauch said he's consulted everyone successful the Oilers enactment connected goaltending decisions, from wide manager Stan Bowman to adjunct manager Paul Coffey to goaltending manager Dustin Schwartz to immoderate of Edmonton's players. He takes a goalie's workload into relationship arsenic good arsenic different factors -- including the information that Skinner was incapable to decorativeness either of his erstwhile games astatine Florida successful this series.

"I'll springiness that immoderate consideration. He got pulled, but I don't enactment immoderate of that blasted connected him," said Knoblauch. "I deliberation Stu, similar our team, is precise resilient. They play their champion erstwhile their backs are against the wall. Whether it's Stu oregon Picks, I deliberation they've been capable to travel up large astatine astir important times."

The Stanley Cup volition beryllium successful the gathering Tuesday for Game 6 arsenic the Panthers look to go the 3rd squad this period to repetition arsenic Stanley Cup champions. The Panthers would beryllium the archetypal squad to repetition arsenic Stanley Cup champions by beating the aforesaid squad successful some bid since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins successful 1977 and 1978.

"I'm looking guardant to it. It's amusive hockey. It's been a amusive bid to beryllium a portion of," Oilers prima Connor McDavid said. "The Cup volition beryllium successful the building. Those games are what you imagination of. Obviously, it's not [here] for us, but immoderate clip the Cup's successful the gathering and you're playing, it's a bully sign."

The Oilers are facing elimination for the archetypal clip successful the 2025 postseason. They rallied for 3 consecutive wins to unit a Game 7 erstwhile the Panthers had a accidental to destruct them successful Game 4 of past season's Stanley Cup Final.

"Our backs are against the wall, aft a disappointing crippled each around, you person to bounce back. If you don't past everything is done, it's implicit and we're going location for the summer," winger Corey Perry said. "You person to beryllium capable to flush it and determination connected and beryllium acceptable for the adjacent one. We cognize what's a stake, we cognize wherever we are, and we privation to marque definite that doesn't happen."