Not because Stuart Skinner has been bad—he hasn’t. That shutout against Seattle five days ago was his best performance of the season. He was solid against Minnesota. And he’s been giving the Oilers a chance to win lately, which is exactly what you want from your starting goalie. But you can’t run him into the ground in early December, and at some point, somebody has to give the backup a chance to actually play.

Pickard hasn’t been on the ice for a game in two weeks. That’s too long. You can’t expect a goalie to stay sharp sitting on the bench for 14 days, and eventually, you’re going to need him. Better to find out now what you have than in February when Skinner needs a night off, and Pickard hasn’t played since who knows how long.

“For a couple of reasons,” head coach Kris Knoblauch explained. “You don’t want them sitting too long. And also, we could absolutely go back with Stuart Skinner. He’s been playing really well. He could have had this game.
“But you don’t want Picks going too long without having a game,” Knoblauch continued. “But also with how well he played his last one in Tampa Bay—he was a couple of minutes away from having a shutout, having a spectacular game. Unfortunately, we gave up the goal late, and they scored in overtime. But I think he deserves not to be sitting and he should have another start.”

That game on November 21 matters here. Pickard stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss. He was excellent. He gave the Oilers every opportunity to win that game. That’s what you want from your backup. Keep it close, give your team a chance, don’t be the reason you lose.

His numbers tell a different story, though, and it’s worth understanding why. Pickard is 2-3-2 with an .847 save percentage and 4.04 GAA through nine appearances. Those are not good numbers. But look at what he’s actually been asked to do.

Half his appearances came in to relieve Skinner during games that were already lost. He got thrown into the Dallas disaster after Skinner got pulled, facing 22 shots in a game that was already 8-3 and completely out of hand. He’s been the cleanup guy, and cleanup games wreck your stats.

When Pickard has gotten actual starts, he’s been perfectly fine. Tampa was strong. His other full starts haven’t been disasters. He’s a backup goalie making backup money doing backup things. That’s the job.

Tonight is a fresh start. Seattle is 11-7-6, sitting middle of the pack in the Pacific. The Oilers just demolished them 4-0. This is the kind of game where your backup should be able to step in and handle business. It’s not asking Pickard to steal a game against Colorado or stand on his head against Tampa Bay—it’s asking him to be competent against a team the Oilers already proved aren’t a problem.

Keep an open mind here. Keep expectations reasonable. Just see what happens.

“He deserves not to be sitting, and he should have another start,” Knoblauch said.

He’s right. Pickard played well in Tampa. He’s been sitting for two weeks while his backup stats get picked apart. His numbers are ugly, but they don’t tell the whole story of what he’s been asked to do this season. Tonight, he gets a real chance.

Nobody’s expecting perfection. Just solid, professional goaltending that gives the Oilers a chance to win. That’s the standard. If Pickard meets it, great. If he doesn’t, you move on and figure out the next step.

Either way, it’s one game in early December. Skinner needed rest. Pickard needed a start. Let’s see what happens.