Much of the attention in tonight’s Edmonton Oilers game against the Nashville Predators will be on Connor McDavid’s pursuit of 1,000 NHL points, but keep an eye on goaltender Calvin Pickard when you can.
While it may not be close to the level of significance of McDavid hitting 1,000 points, the journeyman goaltender will have the unique opportunity of sweeping the season series against Nashville.
Pickard has already started two games against the Predators earlier this season, picking up a 4-2 victory on October 17 and a 5-1 win on Halloween. If he can pull off a third consecutive victory tonight between the pipes, he will have successfully swept the season series, a rare occurrence for a backup goaltender less than two months into the season.
Pickard has picked up wins in his last two against the Predators… and it looks like he will get an opportunity for the season sweep tomorrow night.
He’s in the #Oilers starters net at practice this afternoon pic.twitter.com/NGAIu8Rubq
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) November 13, 2024
Pickard has had some struggles through his first five starts of the season. Though he has a 3-2-0 record, two of which came against Nashville, Pickard has a subpar save percentage of just .886 and ranks near the bottom of the league when it comes to goals saved above expected (GSAx).
Before this season, the New Brunswick native had never won a game against the Predators, having lost all four of his previous starts against the team while a member of the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes. Yet, for whatever reason, that has changed this season.
That could be helped by the fact that the Oilers have dominated Nashville over the last several seasons. The team has a sparkling 12-2-0 record against the Preds since the 2019-20 season, with Leon Draisaitl scoring 37 points in that span.
Even if he does wind up getting the season sweep, it will surely be overshadowed if McDavid picks up his thousandth point. Still, it’s been a long journey for Pickard to become an NHL regular again, so it should still be noted that he could get this unique feather in his cap this season.
Gametime for the potentially historic matchup against the Predators is set for 7 pm MT.