I am just going to come out and say it. Barring a miracle, the Oilers are going to leave the Stanley Cup Finals empty-handed for a second straight season. And we say so because there are too many things going against them. But the biggest dilemma that’s giving Kris Knoblauch a headache, for sure, is the goaltending problem.

The Oilers have entered survival mode now. They have to win Game 6 to tie the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals series. Then they have to win in Game 7. Wait, let’s come back to Game 6 first. To win that game, the Oilers have to make sure they have the right person in goal. And who’s that guy? Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard? Well, for the Oilers head coach, “It’s not an easy decision” to make. This is as per AP Hockey Writer, Stephen Whyno’s tweet on June 15.

But actually, MoneyPuck.com’s computations spit out an obvious name. Apparently, coach Knoblauch should choose Stuart Skinner for Game 6 as per their post on X on June 15. But is there merit in this assessment? The goaltending question became a hot topic in the Finals ever since No. 1 choice Stuart Skinner dropped a disaster class in Game 3. His erratic performance saw the Panthers stroll to a 4-1 lead while it was just 7:26 minutes in the 2nd period.

Skinner hasn’t moved across the goal quite fluently, and that has been exploited by the Panthers. When he conceded 3 in the 1st period of Game 4, Kris Knoblauch made a decision. The Oilers’ coach benched his No. 1 goaltender and gave Pickard a chance. And the 33-year-old was amazing. He played his part in the Oilers’ comeback overtime win, registering a .957 save percentage.

So much so that he got the nod in Game 5. The game ended 5-2 in favor of the Panthers as the defending Stanley Cup Champions took a 3-2 lead in the series. Pickard’s save percentage read .778. Is this why MoneyPuck is leaning towards Skinner for the crucial Game 6? Their calculations show Skinner has saved -1.5 goals above expected. And that figure over a 60-minute period reads -0.031. The corresponding numbers for Pickard are -9.1 and -.290, respectively.

Even in the disastrous Game 3, Skinner had a save percentage of .783. In Game 4, it read .824. MoneyPuck.com says none of them are actually good options, not when you are facing the Florida Panthers of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, and Matthew Tkachuk. But between a rock and a hard place, Stuart Skinner is the one you settle for.

But hey, that’s Kris Knoblauch’s call. And despite all the numbers, it’s not an easy decision. It’s so agonizing for an Oilers fan to go through this because on the other side, you keep seeing Sergei Bobrovsky dropping masterclass game after game.

Kris Knoblauch needs a goaltender as good as Sergei Bobrovsky

5 games played in the series and the Panthers goaltender’s save percentage read as follows: Game 1 – .913, Game 2 – .913, Game 3 – .970, Game 4 – .857, Game 5 – .905. In both Games 1 and 2 Bobrovsky faced more shots than Stuart Skinner and still came out with a better save percentage than the Canadian. He was one of the main reasons why Connor McDavid couldn’t score a goal until Game 5.

On MoneyPuck.com, Sergei Bobrovsky is shown to have saved 11.1 goals above expected. His Goals Against Average (GAA) is 2.26, although the expected GAA is 2.74. His save percentage on unblocked shots is .960, but the expected value of this is .951. Meaning Sergei Bobrovsky is saving more unblocked shots than expected. Simply speaking, Sergei Bobrovsky is one hell of a netminder. Rightfully a 2-time Vezina Trophy winner. This goaltending has been inspired in the 2025 Playoffs, and even his coach is giving him the due credit. After all, the Panthers are what they are because they have Sergei Bobrovsky in goal.