Kris Knoblauch Holds Off Key Goalie Decision as Pressure Mounts for Stanley Cup Game 6

“We’ve got two good goaltenders. Stu has come in and played some really big games, especially later in the series,” coach Kris Knoblauch told the press ahead of Game 5. The Oilers pulled off a heroic comeback win to tie the series in Game 4. Despite Skinner’s success ahead of the SCF, conceding three goals in the first period became the reason why they needed to mount a comeback.

So while the Oilers’ coach praised his goaltender, he also decided to replace Stuart Skinner in the Game 5 lineup. “I think the deciding factor for us was we won the previous game and Picks made a lot of big saves,” the 46-year-old said about his decision to pick Calvin Pickard as the Oilers’ starting goalie. Unfortunately, that made a little difference as the Panthers beat the Oilers 5-2, and now the head coach faces that dilemma again.

Although Calvin Pickard didn’t concede three goals in the opening period, Brad Marchand ensured the score line read 3-0 in the third period. While Connor McDavid and Corey Perry answered back, it was too little, too late. So the press asked what Kris Knoblauch plans to do in their final bid to tie the series in Game 6. However, the coach didn’t give away anything at all.

“I’m not going to make that decision right now after a tough loss like tonight,” said Coach Knoblauch. He completely dismissed that part of the question, not even giving the reports any indication of which direction the coach was thinking in. Instead, Knoblauch stood up for his goalie. “From what I saw, I think Picks didn’t have much chance on those goals… There’s nothing saying that it was a poor performance.”

It sounded similar to how coach Paul Maurice defended Panthers forward Tomas Nosek after Game 1. Nosek giving away a power play to the Oilers results in McDavid and Draisaitl combining to score the winning goal in OT, but Maurice didn’t blame the player. And there’s a good reason why Kris Knoblauch didn’t blame Picakrd because the Oilers just didn’t show up in Game 5.

Kris Knoblauch’s boys have one last chance in Game 6

The Oilers coach explained that his team got off to a great start, but didn’t really capitalize on the chances they got. McDavid, Connor Brown had at least a couple of glances at the Cats’ net but missed the mark in the first 10 minutes. And no, Kris Knoblauch didn’t see the first 10 minutes through rose-tinted glasses because Maurice admitted the same.

“I thought that they came out right and fast. Got through the neutral zone a couple times and he (Sergei Bobrovsky) had to make a couple of big saves,” the Florida Panthers coach confessed during the post-game presser. In fact, he hinted that the final may have looked quite different had the Oilers broken through early. Yet, despite the hypotheticals, the reality is different.

If the Edmonton Oilers can’t win Game 6, then the Cats will lift the trophy on home ice. While Kris Knoblauch will have a tough decision to make regarding the starting goalie for Game 6, he’ll have to address several holes in the Oilers’ play. Despite winning two games in this series, the Oilers just can’t withstand the Panthers’ early pressure, with the Panthers outscoring them 7-0 in the first periods of the last three games.

The Oilers’ power play has also been ineffective, with the Panthers currently boasting an 82.6% success rate during penalty kills. These are among the multiple shortcomings that once again pushed Kris Knoblauch’s team to the edge. Everything is riding on Game 6, and the NHL team can’t afford to slip.