EDMONTON – In the words of everyone’s favorite wise monkey, “it is time.”
Time for what, you ask? To talk about goalies, of course.
The Edmonton Oilers have many woes ailing them in their series against the Los Angeles Kings. One of them is their goaltenders’ ability to make a timely save.
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The Argument For An Oilers Goalie Recall
To say that the Oilers have been getting subpar goaltending to begin the playoffs would be an understatement. But just how bad has it been?
According to NHL Edge data, Stuart Skinner has a .571 save percentage on high-danger shots – the league average is .784. Does this mean they need to have someone else in net?
Maybe.
The Oilers allowed four high-danger shot attempts in Game 2 and scored on two of them. In Game 1, the Kings had one high-danger shot attempt but didn’t score. Instead, they scored on two low-danger and four medium-danger opportunities.
Oilers Goalie Recall Options
If the Oilers want to bring along a third goalie to aid them in their quest to get through the first round of the 2025 playoffs, their options are limited.
Olivier Rodrigue
Olivier Rodrigue came up after Skinner was put on the shelf for a brief time. He was able to get some time in, for the most part, Calvin Pickard was relied on to be between the pipes. The likelihood that they would rely on Rodrigue in the playoffs, especially after not doing so in the regular season, is very low.
Colin Delia
Colin Delia didn’t get an emergency recall after Skinner was injured, which feels like a big enough reason why the Oilers wouldn’t consider bringing him up. Needless to say, his AHL numbers aren’t phenomenal, so it’s tough to rationalize that he would do any better than Pickard.
Connor Ungar
Because his entry level contract started earlier this season, Connor Ungar could be recalled by the Oilers. However, that road is also a dead-end. Ungar’s ECHL numbers are average, so it’s tough to make a case for him to be the guy getting the recall.
No other goalie can be recalled because of their contracts taking effect next year.
There will be no goalie coming in to save the Oilers. They’re just going to have to play better defense.
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