The first two games of the Western Conference Quarter Finals could not have gone worse overall for the Edmonton Oilers.
Facing the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth straight season in the opening round of the playoffs, the Oilers are shockingly trailing the Kings two games to none after a horrendous goaltending performance by Stuart Skinner; he has allowed six and five goals, respectively, and has a ghastly 6.11 goals-against average.
While the Oilers mounted a historic comeback effort in Game 1, knotting the score at 5-5 late in the third period after initially trailing 4-0, they’ve yet to win a game in the series.
Oilers Coach Kris Knoblauch Pointed To Key Mistakes That Buried His Team
In his postgame media session, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch pointed to mistakes and what he referred to as his team’s “gift-wrapping” of chances for the Kings, which they’ve converted on.
“Well, the last two games, five on the special teams — that’s obviously a big part of it,” he said. “The other one is just mistakes. You know, I don’t necessarily see LA making plays to beat us. I see just mistakes, gift-wrapping opportunities. You know, that’s different. If they make a heck of a play and they’re able to score goals, you tip your hat and say there’s not much we can do. But I don’t think I’ve seen very much of that. I think it’s been mostly, gaffes that have cost us.”
Late in the contest, with the outcome all but officially decided, Knoblach pulled Skinner and replaced him with Calvin Pickard; Edmonton’s fortunes didn’t improve, as Pickard was instantly victimized for what was the Kings’ sixth goal of the night.
“We’re down 5-2, give him a break, but also sometimes when the goalies change, there’s a little boost to our team, an immediate spark,” Knoblauch said of the decision to pull Skinner. “That’s a stretch, it’s a long shot after the TV timeout, give it a try.”
Which Oilers Goaltender Will Start Game 3 on Friday?
Knoblauch has a critical decision to make for Game 3: Which of his pair of goaltenders will get the start between the pipes?
So far in the series, Skinner has shown that he can’t be trusted; the Oilers also cannot afford to wait around for his game to come back around.
Don’t be surprised to see Pickard earn the start for the Oilers in Game 3, which will be played Friday night from Edmonton’s Rogers Place starting at 10:00 p.m. EST.