EDMONTON, AB – Calvin Pickard will make his second consecutive start on Sunday night as the Edmonton Oilers enter Game 4 at Rogers Place looking to even their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings.
Pickard stopped 24 shots in his team’s 7-4 victory in Game 3 and will receive another opportunity between the pipes tonight after coming up with the saves he needed to preserve the Friday’s win, especially in the third period by keeping LA from extending their lead before he made some crucial stops late in the contest.
The Oilers scored four straight in the third period, and the 33-year-old has proven that he’ll always give his team a chance to win when he’s in the crease.
Over five career playoff appearances (three starts), Pickard is 2-1-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .889 SV% after he assembled a career-best year in 2024-25 with a 22-10-1 record, a 2.71 GAA and .900 SV%.
“I think with Calvin, you can look at his win-loss record, and especially after January 1, he just finds ways to win hockey games,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Whether it’s that we feel better in front of him or that he just comes up with big saves at key times, he’s been able to [build] that win loss record. It’s pretty flattering for him.
“In Game 3, he came up some big saves, especially in third period, and the ones I’m thinking about were at the end of the game with a two-goal lead where he was outstanding. But early in the third period, there was a couple of good chances. I know one was with Byfield coming down, and you know if he doesn’t make that save, they have a two-goal lead third period and it’s pretty tough for us to overcome.
“He came up with some clutch saves.”
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