'I get it': Pickard the odd man out as Jarry-Ingram tandem revives Oilers

EDMONTON — Let’s start with the pertinent numbers:

The Stuart Skinner-Calvin Pickard tandem posted a middle-of-the-pack save percentage of .894 last season, and prior to Skinner being dealt to Pittsburgh this season for Tristan Jarry, they had a woeful .873.

That ranked 31st in the 32-team NHL. Blech!

So the Oilers made their move on Dec. 12.

Since then, the Jarry-Connor Ingram duo — with five Pickard starts salted in during Jarry’s injury — has a save percentage of .906, albeit behind a much better goaltending environment. That’s good for eighth in the NHL.

To what do we owe this uptick?

“The team has played a little bit more soundly, I would say,” offered captain Connor McDavid. “Goaltending kind of goes with how the team goes.”

But McDavid buried his lede. He had one more thought:

“There was obviously some room to make a difference,” he added, “and they've done that.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in town Thursday night, and Stuart Skinner is almost certain to back up. He’s a great guy who most folks in Edmonton will be happy to see.

Even more so in a Penguins uniform.

We all knew that the Oilers, after icing the second-best goalie in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, would conduct some level of makeover in their crease. “There was obviously some room to make a difference,” and it was up to general manager Stan Bowman to find those few extra saves that could have been the difference between a Western Conference banner and a Stanley Cup banner being raised at one of the past two home openers.

We knew Bowman was in the market. We did not know, however, that he would change out his entire goaltending department by the midway point of the season, which is exactly what has happened here in Edmonton.

“(Goaltending was) definitely something that we talked about in the summer,” began head coach Kris Knoblauch. “On changing it, what were our options. And there really weren't any options at that time.

“As the season went on, we just felt that we had to find something. We had to do something.”

Jarry has been hurt twice this season. Thus, the reticence to put Pickard on waivers.

Ingram was acquired for nothing from Utah, had been held out of the Mammoth’s training camp, and was coming out of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

He was as wild as a wildcard can be, and has since turned into perhaps the sneaky best trade in the NHL this season.

“He was playing in (Bakersfield) and was average at best there,” said Knoblauch. “Now he gets an opportunity and he's been phenomenal (.917 per cent). For a so-called backup goalie? I'm not sure there's many backup goalies that are playing as well as he is right now.”

And where does all of this leave the trusty Pickard? Sadly, he’s drawn the shortest straw of them all.

For a guy who started and won a game in the Stanley Cup Final last year, his current situation is the roughest of them all.

“Yeah, it's been tough,” he said. “It's been painful, for sure.”

The beloved and competent backup is the current No. 3 in Edmonton. He’s not even dressing for games these days, a certified practice goalie who may not play another game here, barring injury to Jarry or Ingram.

“You know, it hasn't been my best season. I don't love how it got to this point, but I get it,” he said. “I can't be boiling mad coming to the rink every day, because that'll just be counterproductive for what I need to do.

“I don't like it. I'm not having fun with it, but I'm still coming to work every day, working hard… Because you never know what's going to happen. I have to be ready for my next opportunity.”

Pro sports can be a kick in the nards sometimes.

The Oilers likely don’t get through Vancouver two springs ago, or Los Angeles and Vegas last spring, without Pickard jumping in to make competitive playoff starts when Skinner faltered.

Yet today, Jarry and Ingram are the two new dogs, and Pickard is tied to a post out back, waiting for a walk that’s likely never going to come.

“I have conversations with the coaching staff and different things, maybe a little bit more stern. But as a teammate, nothing changes for me,” he said. “A guy in my position — lower contract, not very long of a contract — as a general manager, you’re always probably looking to the future. It's tough for me. I've played a lot of good hockey here. You never know what the future holds.

“You never know — I could be right back in there at some point here soon. But yeah, it does suck, for sure,” he said. “But don't feel bad for me. I've been through it before. I'm going to be 34 soon, and I've seen all these kinds of situations.

“Yeah, it’s been painful for me.”

The goaltending carousel has turned 360 degrees in Edmonton, and it’s always the same when it does.

Someone is on it, having the ride of their life. And someone is under it, getting ground into the dirt.