It is the moment that every NHL fan was waiting for. The Stanley Cup Final enters its business end, with the Panthers just one win away from defending their title. On the other hand, the Oilers trail 2-3 and need to win the remaining two games to avoid an unwanted repeat of last year. With all to play for in Game 6 later today, the Oilers have announced a major update ahead of the must-win encounter.

With Game 6 just hours away and the morning skate done and dusted, the Oilers have confirmed their starting goaltender for tonight’s game. Stuart Skinner will be making a comeback in the Oilers’ crease after sitting out Game 5. He has played in all but one Stanley Cup Final game and remains the Oilers’ first choice. In the previous game, Calvin Pickard was between the pipes as they conceded five goals in a 5-2 loss. However, with Skinner back, the Oilers would be hoping for a quick turnaround if they were to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive.

Skinner has been a crucial member of the Oilers’ lineup this season, having a record of 26-18-4. Further, he has a save percentage of 0.896 and 3 shutouts. Apart from Skinner, the Oilers are also planning to add defenseman John Klingberg and winger Kasperi Kapanen back in the lineup, replacing Victor Arvidsson and Troy Stecher.

Talking about these changes, the head coach, Kris Knoblauch, said, “We felt that those two give us the best opportunity to win. Stuart’s been in a lot of high pressure games. He was on six of those games last year. We have a lot of confidence in him.”

Skinner will replace Calvin Pickard, who came in place of him after Skinner was pulled out of Game 3 and Game 4. While the Oilers lost the third game, they narrowly won the fourth one 5-4, with Pickard in the goal during the closing stages of the game. However, the decision to replace Pickard with Skinner was purely strategic, and the head coach defended the former for his performance in Game 5.

Calvin Pickard did no wrong

The Oilers lost the crucial Game 5 when the series was tied 2-2 and handed the lead back to the Panthers. Moreover, they conceded as many as five goals, with some inconsistent play on display. However, the head coach, Kris Knoblauch, backed his goaltender and revealed that he could not have prevented those chances.

Talking about Pickard’s performance in the previous game, Knoblauch said, “From what I saw, Picks didn’t have much chance on those goals. Breakaways, shots through screens, slot shots. There’s nothing saying it was a poor performance.”

Despite this, the Oilers were duly missing Skinner’s presence, something which could have been the reason behind his inclusion today. With the 6’4″ tall goaltender back for the Oilers, it could be just the change that the Canadian side was looking for ahead of the do-or-die encounter. Can Skinner prove to be the difference and lead his side to victory to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive? Let us know your views in the comments below.