POST-GAME: Pickard's preparation pulls through in victory over Devils

EDMONTON, AB – In Calvin Pickard’s case, practice made for the perfect afternoon to secure his first NHL victory in nearly 23 months and help extend his team's win streak to seven games in a row.

The 31-year-old shot-stopper put in a 26-save performance as the First Star in Sunday afternoon’s 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Place to earn his first NHL victory in an Oilers uniform and his first win in the League since Jan. 28, 2022 when he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

Stuart Skinner had started the previous seven games for the Oilers between the pipes, so when it came time for Pickard to step in and provide some necessary relief for their young starting netminder in a challenging matinee matchup against New Jersey, he was sharp and ready for the opportunity.

“You’ve got to show up every day in practice. It's big,” he said post-game on Sunday. “Obviously, I've been in this situation before and when your name's called upon, you’ve just got to go about your business the same way – whether you're playing 10 in a row or one out of 10.”

Pickard bided his time waiting for his next crack at locking down the big-league crease by remaining steadfast in his preparation over plenty of extra reps in practice with Skinner running away with the starting duties and winning six straight games with a 1.82 goals-against average and .931 save percentage during that time.

Pickard was given the green light to make his second Oilers start and his first since suffering defeat on Nov. 20 against the Florida Panthers, and the netminder didn’t leave much for the stifled offence of the Devils – especially over the final period as the visitors chased the game.

The former 2010 second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche looked poised on each one of his 26 total saves, with his only goal against coming off a good cross-crease pass from Nico Hischier onto the tap of Jesper Bratt in the left circle during the third period.

But Pickard came up clutch on multiple occasions over the full 60 minutes, including a big blocker save on a Devils’ three-on-one in the opening frame before he made a game-defining double save on elite playmaker Jack Hughes in the final minutes of regulation. On the ensuing rush up ice, Evander Kane tucked the empty-net goal into the yawning Devils' cage to secure the two points.

For the players and coaches in the locker room, the hard work and professionalism of Pickard certainly haven’t gone unnoticed.

“It's exciting,” winger Connor Brown said. “It's one of those things where everyone just feels so happy for the guy and he stood on his head, especially down the stretch in that game. I thought he did a great job.”

“It's so awesome," defenceman Vincent Desharnais added. “He made some really big saves, like at the end there, and he's such a good guy on and off the ice and he's always smiling. He's kind of in a tough position right now and he hasn't played that much, and he works very hard on the ice and to see him get a big win like that against a very good team, it's really awesome.”

Pickard’s presence is one that’s highly respected in the dressing room, and the keeper’s commitment to working on his game over practices has rubbed off on the group as he stays out on the ice late – a lot of times to help assist other players and take extra shots for both of their benefits.

“Picks is a very popular guy in the room,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I think guys have a lot of respect for him in just the way his career's gone, and he'll spend extra time on the ice taking extra shots even though sometimes those goalies would rather get off and have a little bit of rest. But they know their role and he's a good guy. 

“Everyone enjoys being around him and he just makes everyone feel good. When others have success, just like when they see a young guy who doesn't score very much and they score their goal, they're happy for them. Same with Picks, they're happy for him."

Pickard picking up his first win continues the strong upward trend for Edmonton's netminders, who along with the team's commitment to team defending and a red-hot penalty kill have been a big part of Edmonton's six-game win streak and their return to a near .500 win percentage (12-12-1).

"I think they've done great. I think they've been solid in there stopp the ones they need to," Knoblauch said. "And also, I think we've done a better job of being a little bit more predictable, less seam plays and backdoor chances, so they can feel good.

"I don't think anyone's gone through a seven-game winning streak without good goaltending. Your special teams have to be good and I think each night we've won the special teams battle or at least tied it, and then the goaltending has been rock solid.

"Any team that has success needs good goaltending."