EDMONTON, AB – Goaltender Calvin Pickard will once again get the start for the Edmonton Oilers against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, while Viktor Arvidsson will be out with a lower-body injury for the third and final meeting this season between the two clubs at Rogers Place.
Pickard made the previous two starts against Nashville – both on the road and on Thursdays – which ended with Edmonton claiming 4-2 and 5-1 victories at Bridgestone Arena.
During those victories over Nashville, Brett Kulak recorded his first multi-goal game over four weeks ago, along with Jeff Skinner and Connor McDavid each recording goals, before Leon Draisaitl continued his dominance of Nashville over his career with a goal and two assists back on Halloween.
Pickard stopped 51 of 54 shots over those wins, and the 32-year-old netminder is 3-2-0 this regular season with a .886 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average over six appearances for the Oilers after last making 16 saves during his last start in a 3-0 loss on Nov. 4 to the New Jersey Devils.
Dating back to the 2018-19 season, the Oilers have earned at least a point in 15 of their last 16 games against the Predators, going 13-1-2 in that span.