Oilers coach Knoblauch

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The Edmonton Oilers are on the ice for morning skate before playing the Seattle Kraken tonight, where Calvin Pickard will get the start in net.

The Oilers are coming off a shutout loss against the Dallas Stars, but have shown some positive signs in recent games. Against a weaker team like Seattle tonight, the Oilers need to get another win.

Calvin Pickard gets the start in net vs. Seattle Kraken

According to multiple Oilers insiders, backup Calvin Pickard will get the call as the starting goalie tonight.

This is Pickard’s first start in exactly 2 weeks – which kind of shows what the Oilers coach is thinking about his backup this year.

Skinner is currently on pace to play over 60 games this season, which would be at least 9 more than he did last year. The Oilers are clearly using Pickard less, which makes every start he plays more important for his future.

Last season Pickard was able to provide some decent relief and started 36 games with a .900 save percentage. He’s been nowhere close this year with only an .847 save percentage – so tonight’s game is critical that he can regain some trust, or the Oilers will need to upgrade on him.

While it makes sense that Pickard would get a start after sitting for 2 weeks, some fans are confused by the decision. Skinner’s actually been solid in his last 2 games, allowing just 1 goal.

Oilere confirm expected lineup vs. Kraken with minor changes

Forward and defence pairings will likely remain the same as they were in practice yesterday. Nugent-Hopkins will move back to the first line, with Savoie dropping to the 2nd and Mangiapane to the 3rd.

The Oilers are currently in a home stretch of relatively lighter matchups, and it’s an absolutely necessity they start making up some ground with consistent wins. With just a few in a row, the Oilers could be back in a playoff spot and looking more like a team who could make another deep playoff run.

Previously on Edmonton Hockey Daily

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Oilers confirm goalie change, lineups for tonight’s game vs. Seattle

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