(2P) Oilers at (1P) Canucks
Western Conference Second Round, Game 5
10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX
Best-of-7 series tied 2-2
VANCOUVER -- Calvin Pickard will make his second straight for the Edmonton Oilers when they face the Vancouver Canucks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
It will be the first time this season the 32-year-old journeyman will make consecutive starts, after he made 19 saves in a 3-2 win in Game 5 in Edmonton on Tuesday.
The victory, in the first Stanley Cup Playoff start of Pickard’s 10-year NHL career, evened the best-of-7 series 2-2.
“I just want to go when called upon and do my job,” Pickard said after the Oilers morning skate Thursday. “Obviously I’m grateful for that opportunity.
“The guys played really well in front of me and we’re looking to do the same tonight.”
Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said the Oilers have complete confidence in Pickard.
“It’s been a long road for him to get here,” McDavid said. “It’s a great story.”
One Edmonton hopes will be extended with another solid performance.
“I thought he looked really comfortable the other day,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He made some quality saves, played the puck really well. That’s probably the biggest thing -- just how comfortable you are playing the puck behind the net. You get pressure, you have to make the right decisions, and he made some big saves for us through the night.”
Stuart Skinner was the Oilers acknowledged No. 1 goalie during the regular season but allowed 12 goals in 58 shots in the first three games of the series against the Canucks, leading Knoblauch to make the decision to switch for Game 4.
When a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds an all-time record of 231-61 (.791), including 1-0 this season.
Here are 3 keys for Game 5:
1. Canucks shuffle the deck
Vancouver is making a number of lineup changes from Game 5, most notably shifting slumping forward Elias Pettersson to the wing on a line with Nils Hoglander and Elias Lindholm.
Pettersson has four points (one goal, three assists) in 10 playoff games after he had 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 regular-season games.
“We watched video today and he's energized,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “I think that's my job. I've got to help the kid out too. It's not all on him. I've got to get him going with linemates or different approaches.”
Ones that include having the 25-year-old, who normally plays center, keep it simple.
“I think he's just got to play his game,” Tocchet said. “Whether he gets a point tonight, I really don't care if he scores. Obviously, we would love him to score, don't get me wrong. I just want him to do the two simple things I want tonight. I know it will help and don't worry about anything else.”
Tocchet also is reuniting center Teddy Blueger with wings Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua; the three formed the Canucks' best line for long stretches until Joshua broke hand Feb. 13.
2. History lesson for Oilers
Twelve months ago, Edmonton was in this exact same spot, tied tied 2-2 with the Vegas Golden Knights in the best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round heading into Game 5 on the road.
They would lose that game 4-3, then be eliminated with a 5-2 loss in Game 6.
Oilers players vowed redemption after that loss. Now they have that chance.
“It’s a great opportunity,” McDavid said. “Obviously, in their building, series tied, it’s a great opportunity to put together a big win.
“I think we’ve definitely grown from the experience we went through last year.”
3. Wanted: Secondary scoring
Though centers Leon Draisaitl (20 points; eight goals, 12 assists) and McDavid (18 points; two goals, 16 assists) continue to lead the way in playoff scoring for the Oilers, at some point the supporting cast must chip in if Edmonton plans on advancing deeper this postseason.
Consider this: forwards Derek Ryan, Mattias Janmark, Ryan McLeod, Corey Perry and Connor Brown each is looking for his first goal of the playoffs through nine games this postseason. Certainly the Oilers need more production from their bottom six moving forward.
Oilers projected lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Dylan Holloway -- Leon Draisaitl -- Evander Kane
Warren Foegele -- Ryan McLeod -- Corey Perry
Mattias Janmark -- Derek Ryan -- Connor Brown
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Vincent Desharnais
Brett Kulak -- Cody Ceci
Calvin Pickard
Stuart Skinner
Scratched: Philip Broberg, Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner, Troy Stecher
Injured: Adam Henrique (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Lindholm -- Elias Pettersson
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Nils Aman -- Vasily Podkilzin
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov -- Ian Cole
Arturs Silovs
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman, Christian Wolanin, Noah Juulsen, Sam Lafferty, Ilya Mikheyev, Linus Karlsson
Injured: Thatcher Demko (undisclosed)
Status report
The Oilers will dress the same lineup they used in a 3-2 win in Game 4. ... Soucy returns from a one-game suspension for cross-checking McDavid after Game 3. ... Juulsen, a defenseman, comes out of the lineup after filling in for Soucy in Game 4. … The Canucks are making changes to three of their forward lines, taking Karlsson, Lafferty and Mikheyev out; it will be the first scratch of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each for Lafferty and Mikheyev, the latter of whom playing on a line with Pettersson in Game 4. ... Podkolzin will make his postseason debut. ... Hoglander returns after being a healthy scratch the past two games … Di Giuseppe returns after missing Games 3 and 4 for personal reasons.
NHL.com independent correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report
