In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Edmonton Oilers still won’t have Calvin Pickard in goal for Game 4, and while he’s officially listed as day-to-day, the injury news might be worse than that. Meanwhile, Mason Marchment will escape punishment from the NHL despite making contact with an official. Why? Finally, the league is likely to look at Max Domi’s late hit on Aleksander Barkov. Should the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare to be without Domi for a game or two?
Pickard Will Miss Game 4, Injury Update
The official stance on Pickard’s injury is that he’s day-to-day for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner will get the start in Game 4. However, there is some concern that Pickard’s injury is worse than Oilers letting on.
Related: Oilers Get What They Deserve in Crushing Loss to Golden Knights
“I’m told it’ll probably be at least a week…” noted TSN’s Darren Dreger (h/t Lieutentant Eric). The Oilers are trying to take a 3-1 series lead versus the Vegas Golden Knights and their play in front of Skinner was not good on Saturday. Edmonton is aware they need to step up their game, and despite fans roasting Skinner for allowing a goal with 0.4 seconds left in the third period, the team is firmly behind their netminder, saying it wasn’t his fault.
That public support doesn’t change the fact the series is shifting toward Vegas and the Oilers need a statement win for Skinner to get the series back in control before the head to Vegas for Game 5.
As for what happens after the season, Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal hints that the Oilers are going to have to pick one guy to stick with and upgrade at the position while removing the other. He writes:
“I do not have a crystal ball. But if Pickard continues to play like he did Thursday night (when he was Edmonton’s best player) then how do you not return him? Yet, the more youthful Skinner is the one you would think has more upside. That would be a difficult asset to give up on, as well.”
source – ‘What on earth is Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman thinking??: 9 Things’ – Kurt Leavins – Edmonton Journal – 05/11/2025
After slashing an NHL official in Sunday’s game between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets, many assumed Mason Marchment was going to be given an automatic suspension. That is not the case, according to a trusted NHL insider.
Elliotte Friedman noted, “League has discussed incident at end of second period between Mason Marchment and referee Graham Skilliter. It is on-ice officials’ call to decide if that qualifies as an Abuse of Officials violation. The answer was no…so no further action.”
It is baffling how and why the NHL has left this in the hands of the official, despite the official’s stance that it was ‘no big deal’.
Max Domi Fined for Late-Game Hit on Barkov
There is a belief that the NHL would consider discipline for the late-game hit by Max Domi on Aleksander Barkov in the Panthers’ 2-0 win over Toronto on Sunday. “I think the league looks at those things very closely, especially at that point in the game,” said Paul Maurice on the hit at the end of Game 4.
Meanwhile, Craig Berube was asked about Domi’s hit on Barkov and responded, “To me the Kulikov hit on Marner was 10 times worse.”
Domi was issued a five-minute major for boarding, but no suspension is forthcoming.
**Update: Toronto’s Max Domi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.
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