Oilers Goaltending Hits Historic New Low After Latest Loss

The Edmonton Oilers season isn’t worth writing off just yet, but it’s clear that some changes are needed. The Oilers got blown out on home ice versus the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, falling by an 8-3 final. It came just weeks after another Western Conference contender in the Colorado Avalanche dismantled them 9-1 in front of their home crowd.

As those scores would indicate, goaltending has been a major struggle. Calvin Pickard, who has made nine appearances this season, has a 4.04 goals against average (GAA) paired with a .847 save percentage (SV%). Stuart Skinner has been the better of the two, but still owns a horrendous 3.18 GAA and a .878 SV% in his 18 appearances.

Tuesday night’s game versus the Stars marked the Oilers’ 25th game of the season. Through those 25 games, they have a team SV% of .860. That marks the lowest team SV% they’ve had through 25 games since their inaugural season in 1979-80, where they mainly relied on Eddie Mio and Jim Corsi.

The Oilers’ SV% is by far and away the worst in the NHL this season. The next lowest team in that regard is the Nashville Predators at .867. On the flip side, the Avalanche lead the NHL with a combined .916 SV%. To little surprise, they sit at 16-1-5 on the season, while the Oilers are a disappointing 10-10-5.

Oilers Need to Make a Move

It’s easy to say the time is now in Edmonton to make a move for another goalie, but if we’re being honest, that time was likely years ago. Seemingly everybody outside of Oilers management knew that Skinner wasn’t the one to lead this team all the way, and there are very few, if any, surprised by his struggles this season.

In both Skinner and Pickard’s defence, the team in front of them hasn’t been very good whatsoever this season. That said, it’s hard to play at your best when you are constantly worried that each and every mistake made will end up in the back of your net. They are playing like a team who has zero confidence in their goaltending. It’s impossible to blame them for feeling that way.

Looking at advanced stats further proves just how bad both have been. Pickard’s goals saved above average (GSAA) is second worst among all NHL goalies at -10.74. Skinner’s is the third worst at -9.24. The Oilers duo is having a season to remember, but for all the wrong reasons.

Barring a miracle turnaround moving forward, Skinner is well on his way to finishing his second-straight season with a SV% below .900. His career SV% through 192 games is a mediocre .903. In other words, there should be no hope that he’s going to turn things around, at least not drastically. He has proven that this is simply who he is.

At best, Skinner is a tandem-goalie at the NHL level, if not a backup. With the Oilers, he’s been forced into a starter’s role, and it’s quite evident to everybody that he isn’t capable of being one. There’s a valid argument to be made that the Oilers would have won at least one of these past two Stanley Cup Finals had they had a more reliable goalie between the pipes.

Unfortunately for the Oilers, there aren’t a ton of goaltenders available at this time. One name who has been linked to them as of late is Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately, he’s also struggling tremendously this season. That said, he’s proven he has the ability to elevate his game in pressure situations, as proven by his 2019 Stanley Cup win and by leading Canada to a first-place finish at the 4 Nations Face Off.

Whether it’s Binnington or someone else, even if it appears to be nothing more than a lateral move, Oilers management needs to bring somebody in. This group needs a new face in the crease to give them some confidence, as it’s clear that they won’t win a Stanley Cup with this tandem. At this point, they may not even make the playoffs if they stick with them.