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Oilers vs Stars - Resting Skinner Is The Right Call |
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Tonight in a bit of a surprising move, Calvin Pickard and not Stuart Skinner will be starting in net. Many expected that Skinner would get the start tonight and likely on Friday against the Avalanche while Pickard would get the easier matchup against the Flames on Saturday. Instead Knoblauch has seen fit to rest Skinner tonight, in what I think is an excellent move.
That means Skinner likely will play the following remaining games:
April 5 - Avalanche
April 10 - Vegas
April 13 - Canucks
April 15 - Sharks (although I could see Pickard getting this game too)
April 18 - Avalanche
At the end of the day, these regular season games don't matter much to the team. Yes, there is a chance that Edmonton could catch the Canucks but two thoughts there. One, Pickard has still played some solid hockey and I don't think playing him sets the Oilers up for an automatic lose. The team may still need Pickard in the playoffs so it's best to play him and set him up for success too.
The second is I think it's in the team's best interests to play Vegas (if that is the matchup) in the first round, rather than the second. With the likes of Stone and Hertl inevitably returning, they will need time to get up to speed - best to play Vegas first when those players are still out or just finding their legs.
Skinner is going to be the go-to guy and the coaching staff needs to do everything in their power to ensure he is 100% healthy for the playoffs. After an entire off-season of fans stating that Skinner played too much down the stretch last season, let's maybe not complain when the coaching staff actually rests the guy.
What goes for Skinner goes 100% for the rest of the players in that locker room. I know the team wants to see McDavid hit 100 assists and win the Art Ross but they also have to recognize there are more important things at play. I would far rather see McDavid scratched for one of the last games of the season and lose the Art Ross to MacKinnon than have him win it and get injured or be even a fraction more fatigued going into Game 1 of the playoffs.
Since the Trade Deadline, of the 48 goalies who have played 200 minutes or more at 5 on 5, Calvin Pickard ranks first with a 0.978SV%. Skinner ranks 25th with a 0.914%. Since January 1st, Skinner ranks 7th in the NHL of goalies who have played at least 1200 minutes with a 0.919SV% at 5 on 5.
Edmonton has two solid netminders right now who should be able to be counted on in the post-season. It's up to the players in front of their netminder to ensure they cut down the egregious mistakes and turnovers in their own end.
It should be a good matchup against the Stars tonight!
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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