That’s the biggest question coming out of the week that was in Oilersnation, a week that all things considered, fared better than I expected (my lowly prediction was 2-2-1 after all).

Connor Ingram has shattered any doubt in his ability to provide stable goaltending for the Edmonton Oilers. His save percentage after Sunday night’s 27-save shutout is .917.

If you remove his worst game against Boston, where he was simply missing pucks (his only game below a .900 sv%), his save percentage is .934. It’s a slippery slope doing that, granted, but it further illustrates the point that eight out of nine starts have been quality.

Tristan Jarry has played twice upon his return from injury, and after looking alright in Nashville, he blanked the dreadful Vancouver Canucks. He’ll finally get a look at home ice.

Calvin Pickard is the odd man out.

A luxury they don’t have

However, there is much talk in the market about placing Calvin Pickard on waivers and losing him for nothing. That’s poor asset management. There may even be some truth in it.

The Ottawa Senators are in need, surely. The Philadelphia Flyers have a backup problem. The NHL’s goaltending has been so poor that it wouldn’t surprise me if a team took a flier on his $1 million contract. The Sens did just revive James Reimer.

But now with Kasperi Kapanen’s injury – which luckily sounds more day-to-day than long-term, if you believe Knoblauch anyways – and Leon Draisaitl on leave for an indeterminate amount of time, there’s little flexibility.

The microscope is shining on this three-headed goalie tandem like a nihilistic boy searing poor red ants against asphalt. Simply, Pickard’s chance of starting while Jarry and Ingram are playing this way is nil.

To have a third goalie while you dress 11 forwards and seven defencemen reeks of the same poor asset management, does it not?

Especially when this could be more of an extended opportunity again for the yo-yo Quinn Hutson, who dutifully signed the dotted line for a cheap two-year extension this week, and was named as an AHL all-star.

Heck, Max Jones was providing energy in his limited minutes while with the big club.

But we won’t see them unless a decision is made with Pickard because of the salary cap implications.

Salute to Picks

Calvin Pickard’s contributions to the organization have been fantastic, all things considered. Without Pickard last season, the Oilers regular season and playoffs would’ve been much murkier. I don’t believe they beat the Kings without him.

But the rollercoaster ride has come to an end.

It’s time to force a trade for Pickard for a bottom pick, or bite the bullet, and ship him down to waivers.

Yes, I am concerned that Tristan Jarry could reaggravate his injury. But I’m also concerned that the forward group will continue to get injured, because that’s what’s been happening all season long.

For me, checking this box to give them some breathing room is not ideal, but it’s simply what has to be done.

No more injuries, please?

I’m no enemy of the old Jay Woodcroft special — 11 forwards and seven defencemen — if required for a couple of games, the Oilers can manage.

When you have Connor McDavid, it creates fun matchups, especially as Edmonton is about to cruise into one of the franchise’s longest homestands, and Knoblauch can deploy with last change.

Injuries have been the rule this year, not the exception.

Just as the team became the healthiest they’ve been since the Western Conference Final in late May, they’re dealt more thunderbolts.

It wouldn’t have hurt my feelings for Andrew Mangiapane’s last game in an Oilers sweater to have been in Nashville after an ugly performance. Maybe his goal will reinvigorate him. But I thought the same after he scored in Minnesota last time.

Depending on Kapanen’s prognosis, I assume Bowman will stall what seemed to be already slow-moving trade negotiations to ship Mangiapane out.

But once again, the long-term planning of the roster moving forward is delayed. At some point this season, it’ll be important to improve the team.

That’s been replaced. Survival is the key now.

Hopefully, Draisaitl’s family matter results in great news for everybody. Hopefully, Kapanen just needs a few days. Hopefully, that’s it for forward injuries.

Especially because this is the time for the Oilers to make their move in the standings.

Time to dominate

I don’t label every section of the season schedule, but there are always a few that stand out. If you don’t read my column regularly (well, friggin’ change that first off, it’s usually Sundays!), you’d know I called the seven games after they finished the wicked long Eastern roadtrip in Florida the “hinge” part of the year.

In other words, a time where they needed to reverse their fortunes and would have schedule opportunities to do so. They went 4-2-1 in that stretch.

Beginning Sunday night was the “dominance” part of their schedule, where for the next nine games they play eight in a row at home, and then finish in Calgary before the Olympic break.

Only one of those nine teams they play are currently top-10 in NHL standings currently in the Minnesota Wild. Two of them are bottom-10.

So it’s largely a mushy middle of the league they welcome to Rogers Place, the types of games they need to start winning consistently if a Pacific Division crown is in their future.

As silly as this season has been, and even with all the reservations I have about the ceiling of this team, it’s not ridiculous for them to win the division.

Yes, they are two points back of Vegas, who have three games in hand. But the Oilers have more wins than the loser-point-laden Golden Knights. They made their splash by acquiring Rasmus Andersson on Sunday. He’ll help in the fight to take games into overtime.

Almost half of Edmonton’s remaining games – 15 out of 32 – are against the Pacific.

Don’t try to figure out the Edmonton Oilers, lean into the silly games they play. For example, they will try for a ninth time to achieve a three-game winning streak on Tuesday. Two days off in a row would’ve been a nice luxury for this group after five games in seven nights, but to no avail.

Although a great philosopher once said, two out of three ain’t bad, right Meatloaf?

Record last week: 3-1-1.

Record at home: 12-6-4

This week:

Home to New Jersey on Tuesday
Home to Pittsburgh on Thursday (Stu?!)
Home to Washington on Saturday

Historically bad goaltending

Let’s peruse some other notes that caught my eye this week.

Before Sunday’s games, here were the three worst single-season NHL team save percentages since 1990-91, a pretty big sample size.

1. 1992-93 Ottawa Senators (.852)

2. 1993-94 Ottawa Senators (.857)

And?

3. 2025-26 Ottawa Senators (.865)

For reference, those expansion Senators teams were awful, all-time NHL history bad. Funnily enough, newly re-hired Columbus coach Rick Bowness was at the helm, and they went 10-70-4 and if you can believe that, winning just one road game all year.

They won just four more games the next season, and are the last team in the NHL history to record 60 or more losses.

So these current Senators are dwelling amongst some of the worst hockey teams that have ever been assembled in the NHL.

Linus Ullmark was deep in the struggle bus before his leave from the team. Leevi Merlainen has been even worse.

On prestigious Hockey Day in Canada, the Sens scored five goals against the hallowed Montreal Canadiens. But Merilainen allowed six on 19 shots, they blew a two-goal lead, and lost in overtime.

“I think Leevi made some good saves,” said defenceman Jake Sanderson in a post-game media scrum. “But I think, at the end of the day, you’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win a game.”

With that save percentage, it’s remarkable the Senators are above Gary .500 at 22-19-6. Correction: 22-19-7 as the Sens lost 4-3 in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night.

A point is a point in Gary’s NHL.

Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal if Ottawa played in the Pacific Division, where they’d be in third, but pulling James Reimer off the couch was a desperate move.

He played well, all things considered. But what’s the answer here?

Ullmark skated Friday, but head coach Travis Green was quick to point out that there’s no rush, and understandably so, as he comes back from his mental health leave.

They’re six points back of a playoff spot. A season is swirling down the drain if something doesn’t change.

Does Steve Staios have no interest in Calvin Pickard?

The wagon Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are not a mirage and I’m here for it. They’re 8-2-1 since the Christmas break. They’re in a wildcard spot.

Playoff hockey deserves to return to Buffalo, one of the better markets in the league.

Let’s go Buffalo!

What if?

I couldn’t help thinking as Iyla Sorokin was stoning the Oilers left and right: Would he be Russia’s starting goaltender if Russia weren’t sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee?

I’m not here to make a geopolitical statement, just a curious hockey question.

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been up to his usual elite standard this year, too.

Andrei Vasilevskiy: 20-7-3, 2.22 GAA, .916 sv%

Iyla Sorokin: 15-11-2, 2.47 GAA, .915 sv%

Vasi has the resume, but I’ve always thought the world of Sorokin. Could be because he loves dominating the Oilers.

I suppose we’ll never know.

Kraking on

Seattle seemed like serious franchise-altering decisions were on the way in November. But they are third in the Pacific as of publication time, albeit tied with three other teams in the Pacific in points.

Philip Grubauer has revived his career, and they are amongst the streakiest of NHL teams.

From Dec. 20 – Jan. 6, the Kraken were 8-0-1. But now they are 1-3-2 in their last six.

They lack real needle movers and I’ve long thought their playoff run gave them a false sense of ability in terms of building a contender.

This type of run could do the same.

However, they are being rumoured as teams that want to add, not trade away. General manager Jason Botterill has to be careful.

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