The Edmonton Oilers have hit a rough patch. The men in blue and orange have had to endure two consecutive defeats to divisional rivals: the Seattle Kraken and the Vancouver Canucks. The OT loss to the Canucks humbled the Oilers big time as Vancouver disregarded Quinn Hughes’ crucial absence to secure victory anyway.
Now, both the Kraken and the Canucks rank above the Oilers in the Pacific Division. To further exacerbate worries, goalie Calvin Pickard has squirmed his way to a disturbing list: the 33-year-old ranks as one of the goalies with the worst save percentage over four games played. Moreover, the list also features an unexpected big name, ranked sixth among the NHL’s top ten goaltenders.
Edmonton Oilers’ Calvin Pickard and New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin Feature in Unfortunate List
The Oilers brass continuously finds itself bothered by goalie issues, and this time is no different. Although Stuart Skinner has evaded being ranked as one of the unfortunate goalies, his colleague, Pickard, has not had the same luck. The 33-year-old put up against the short-staffed Canucks and failed to cut an impressive picture.
Pickard registered a save percentage of .852 against Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko’s .896. Pickard’s last few appearances have been underwhelming: he registered a save percentage of .815 against the Montreal Canadiens and .818 against the New Jersey Devils. Consequently, it is no surprise that the netminder’s name appeared in the list. Among other notable goaltenders who have failed to live up to expectations and been named on the list are Linus Ullmark, Ilya Sorokin, and Anthony Stolarz.
“Worst save % (min. 4 GP): Samuel Montembeault – 0.842 Joonas Korpisalo – 0.845 Calvin Pickard – 0.846 Yaroslav Askarov – 0.855 John Gibson – 0.870 Linus Ullmark – 0.870 Jordan Binnington – 0.872 Ilya Sorokin – 0.875 Alex Nedeljkovic – 0.875 Anthony Stolarz – 0.885,” posted NHL Rosters on their X account.
Oilers management once desired to acquire Sorokin from the Islanders, but given that the deal was impractical, Edmonton pursued Connor Ingram instead. Sorokin is in the nascent stages of his eight-year, $66 million contract, with an average annual value of $8.25 million with the Islanders.
The Islanders’ last match against the Philadelphia Flyers ended with a shootout defeat for New York. Sorokin made 23 saves and registered a save percentage of .885. In the Islanders’ showdown against the Winnipeg Jets on October 13, Sorokin’s save percentage was an abysmal .840 against Eric Comrie’s staggering .943.
Sorokin, Ullmark, and Jordan Binnington’s additions to such a list are surprising. The three netminders were named among the top ten NHL goalies this year. Sorokin has fallen short of his team’s and the league’s overall expectations of him. The mention of Pickard highlights the Oilers’ never-ending struggle with goaltending.
