Analysts Call on Edmonton Oilers to Make Emergency Goalie Change for Game 3

It's time to discuss goalies. The Edmonton Oilers are having a tough time in their series against the Los Angeles Kings, and suspect goaltending is largely the reason why.

Stuart Skinner has been disappointing, at the very least. NHL Edge says he's carrying a .571 save percentage on high-danger opportunities, below the .784 league average. That's a legitimate issue.

In Game 2, the Kings took four high-danger attempts and scored twice. In Game 1, they scored six times without one high-danger opportunity, twice on low-danger chances, and four times on medium-danger opportunities.

That says a lot about the goalie situation. Could the Oilers use someone else besides Calvin Pickard between the pipes? Technically, yes, but the options are limited. NHL analyst Caleb Kerney discussed three possible goalie options.

Olivier Rodrigue saw some action when Skinner was out for a short while, but Calvin Pickard was the main backup. Rodrigue wasn't relied on in the regular season, so it's hard to see him getting an opportunity now.

Colin Delia wasn't even brought back when Skinner got injured, and his AHL statistics aren't really anything to get excited about.

Connor Ungar, whose entry-level contract begins this season, hasn't made waves in the ECHL and isn't quite big-time ready, either. The others? Not eligible because their contracts aren't yet kicking in.

So, no relief is arriving. The Oilers will just have to do what they can, and most notably, tighten up defensively if they hope to advance past the first round. Perhaps Pickard gets thrown in to the wolves den to try and salvage the season.