Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch undecided on Game 4 starter in goal

Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was noncommittal about who his starting goaltender between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard would be for Thursday night’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Knoblauch said that a decision on who would start would come closer to Thursday night, noting that there was blame to go around for the whole team for Monday night’s 6-1 loss.

The Panthers were at the very top of their game on Monday in a contest that looked eerily similar to Games 5 and 7 of the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers find a way to take a lead, and then turn to their killer instinct to both pour it on on the scoreboard while agitating their opponent into taking undisciplined penalties.

Florida tallied three power play goals on 11 opportunities as the Oilers took 21 infractions for a total of 85 penalty minutes. Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots against before Knoblauch pulled him in the middle of the third period.

Pickard stopped seven of the eight shots he faced in his eighth appearance of the postseason.

After the Oilers lost the first two games of their first round series to the Los Angeles Kings, Knoblauch gave the net to Pickard, who helped rattle off four straight wins to advance to the second round.

Pickard then earned wins in the first two games against the Vegas Golden Knights before he suffered an injury that turned the crease back over to Skinner.

Skinner was phenomenal from that point through the Western Conference final. In total, he owns an .894 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average with three shutouts to his name this postseason.