Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to all of you. I’ve got a fresh mailbag ready to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their take on whatever is on your mind. This week, we’re discussing Darnell Nurse’s season, Calvin Pickard getting playoff starts, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.

He has been their most consistent defenseman all season. He is one of only eight D-men in the NHL who has played 50+ games and averaged 19+ minutes/game at 5×5. His decision-making with and without the puck has been very good, and he and Walman (who will be a pair when Ekholm returns) will be crucial to the Oilers on a deep playoff run.

I agree with you. Early in the season, he was playing some of his best hockey in years and while maybe he’s plateaued off a little bit, I still think he’s had way more good games than bad. I really want to see him paired with Jake Walman for a good run to see if they can develop some chemistry. I think he could be poised to have a very strong post season.

We are not seeing the eye-popping mistakes this year, which has been fantastic. He’s using his skillset to his advantage with his athleticism and puck abilities. What proved how good Nurse is this season was when he missed those games. The team felt lost without him. I’d still love to see him rush the puck more and become an offensive threat, but that’s just me being picky.

You’re right — quietly, he’s had a solid season for the team. It’s felt like he’s been consistent all season long, and his five-on-five goal share (53.2 percent) and his expected goal share (53.7 percent) are both the third highest marks of his career.

I think Nurse is having one of his best years ever, IMO. I think he’s making fewer mistakes with the puck, picking his spots to rush up ice, and has quietly been collecting points often down the stretch.

Almost impossible they catch LA. Four points back with six games to go, and LA owns the tiebreakers, so essentially it is five points back. If LA goes 3-3, the Oilers have to go 5-0-1. By the time they meet head-to-head, it likely won’t matter. Oilers just need to be healthy.

They absolutely have to beat the Kings in their next head to head matchup now. For me, I want to see them continue to crank up the physicality and start to play a little meaner. It’s time to start treating these games like playoff games. Also, some depth guys need to start scoring. Having a few hot hands in the bottom six heading into the post-season would be awesome.

That dream may have died after the loss to the Kings on Saturday. However, while home is important, the Oilers are more than capable of beating the Kings in seven games either way. The “must-win” games, if there is still a chance, are against San Jose, Anaheim and LA. You can’t slip up against them.

Their biggest concern isn’t even about their on-ice play right now: it’s about getting healthy.

Home-ice doesn’t look like it will happen, so the most important thing is that everyone gets healthy for round one. It’s not impossible, but definitely looks unlikely.

It will depend on Skinner’s health. I was told Skinner was on the ice last week, but it was not an intense practice. Skinner will have to get in a few games before playoffs, but if not, Pickard will start.

It’s getting closer to 50/50 for me. Every game he finishes with a save percentage above .900 is just strengthening his case. He’s been very consistent over this stretch with Skinner out and if Stuart were to come back and look a little shaky, I could absolutely see them going with Pickard night one. It’s still Skinners crease and I would bet on him being the guy, I’m just saying it’s getting closer.

It seems more and more likely in every game. The team sees Skinner as their number one, but huge props to Pickard for forcing himself into the conversation. It’ll all come down to how Skinner performs when he returns to the crease.

I’m starting to get a bit concerned about Skinner’s health as it’s been nearly two weeks and we haven’t heard anything about where he’s at in his recovery. Pickard has kept the Oilers in games since he’s taken over the crease, going 3-2 with a .904 save percentage. I’m not ready to declare anything one way or another until we find out more about where Skinner’s at.

I think Pickard will get Game 1 of the playoffs unless Skinner can get a few games in before the end of the season. Concussions can be tricky to recover from, so I can’t imagine the Oilers will be rushing Stu back any time before he’s absolutely 100% ready.

East… Tampa Bay and Washington (easiest path).

West… Dallas and Edmonton. The Oilers’ health is the wildcard.

I’ll go Colorado and Edmonton in the West. I love the forward depth that each side has and I think they can overcome their issues (goaltending for Edmonton and defense for Colorado). In the East, I really like both Florida and Tampa Bay this season but I will say… I got a funny feeling about Toronto this year. Sometimes these runs happen when you least expect them.

Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, and the Colorado Avalanche in the West. However, any team besides the Minnesota Wild can win the Stanley Cup in the Western Conference. All the teams out West are elite.

Great question. Washington out east is an easy one, and I want to say Carolina as a No. 2 there, but the last few playoff runs have been so disappointing for them. In the West, outside of Edmonton, I’ll go Winnipeg and as a dark horse, St. Louis. The Blues are on quite the run right now.

East: Washington and Carolina

West: Dallas and Edmonton. We need some luck the the team’s health, though.

Good question. I’d guess we will see many different line combos as Knoblauch tries to find ones that work while also keeping guys in the mix.

Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
Frederic – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Kane – RNH – Podkolzin
Janmark – Henrique – Brown

Corey Perry will also play. He and Skinner might switch. Who starts Game 1 likely won’t matter that much. How many people remember Connor Brown didn’t play in the LA series and sat out Game 1 v. Vancouver before being inserted in the lineup? When he got in, he played great. Perry and Kapanen, or one of the 12 forwards I listed above, could miss the start of the playoffs but still play a key role.

Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
Frederic – Drai – Arvidsson
Podkolzin – Nuge – Kane
Brown – Henrique – Perry

Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
Frederic – Draisaitl – Kane
Podkolzin – Nuge – Arvidsson
Perry – Henrique – Brown

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Walman
Kulak – Emberson

I added in the blueliners, too. I could see Janmark getting the 4RW spot over Brown, but I think this is the right mix. Draisaitl and Kane’s numbers were absolutely ruined in the playoffs last year in their time with Cody Ceci, and with the additions of Jake Walman and Ty Emberson, I don’t see that being the case again.

Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
Frederic – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Kane – RNH – Podkolzin
Janmark – Henrique – Perry

The only reason I’m taking Brown out of my Game 1 lineup is because Corey Perry has been great all season. He deserves to play.

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