‘That support system is huge’

Calvin Pickard has been around long enough to recognize that riding the emotional roller coaster is an occupational hazard.

But, after coming off the bench to win six consecutive starts in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers netminder couldn’t believe his misfortune after Tomas Hertl fell on his leg during Game 2 of the second-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I knew right away that it wasn’t good,” the Winnipeg product said in a phone interview from Edmonton on Tuesday afternoon. “It was kind of like a double pop. Two things happened there. They scored about a minute after that and it was 4-4 with about seven minutes left.

“I was running on pure adrenaline and I was just going to go down swinging. I wasn’t coming out.”

As Pickard battled through the lower-body injury that would knock him out of the remainder of the series and much of the Western Conference final, Leon Draisaitl delivered the overtime winner to put the Oilers up 2-0 in the series.

Flying back to Edmonton for Game 3, Pickard did his best to convince himself he could continue. But when he showed up for the morning skate, his body let him know that wouldn’t be the case.

“The next morning, it tightened right up,” said Pickard. “I got there early and I couldn’t even really move, so it was time to take a step back. I was very happy with how fast I got back, because it wasn’t pretty there for a couple of weeks.

“When it first happened, I was very nervous about how long (the recovery) was going to be.”

Pickard originally replaced Oilers starter Stuart Skinner in the third period of Game 2 of the opening-round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings and quickly got on a heater, stabilizing things between the pipes and helping Edmonton win the next four contests to advance to the second round.

“It was a good opportunity for me to hop in there. I wasn’t perfect, but we scored some goals and I made some saves at the right times,” said Pickard. “Playoff hockey is such a fun thing to be a part of.

“It was an exciting time for me to get in there and be ‘The Guy’ for a while.”

“When it first happened, I was very nervous about how long (the recovery) was going to be.”– Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard

Not being able to keep riding the wave was extremely frustrating, but Pickard quickly got to work on his rehabilitation and he was back to dressing in a backup role for Game 4 of the series with the Dallas Stars.

During the Stanley Cup final, Pickard was called upon in two relief appearances, including Game 4 — when he entered to start the second period and made 22 saves in an overtime victory that evened the series 2-2.

“I had played most of the third period in the game before, so that was nice to be in game action,” he said. “In the next game, we were down 3-0 but any goalie in net would have been down 3-0 at least. I got in there and had to do my job. We started playing really well and tied it up really quickly.

“That was a nice win to be a part of.”

Pickard also started Game 5, suffering his lone loss of the post-season before giving way to Skinner in Game 6 — where the Florida Panthers closed things out.

When taking time to reflect, Pickard understood there were a lot of positives to take from the two-month odyssey that ended two wins shy of the Oilers ending the Canadian team drought that stretches back to 1993.

“It was a whirlwind going into the playoffs, we got off to a tough start (against the Kings) and then we caught fire,” said Pickard. “The injury was tough. I had won six in a row and it kind of got snatched away from me. That was devastating for me, but the team carried on, which was really good.

“Florida was really good. It could have gone either way there and then they pulled away at the end. It’s tough going all the way and falling short two years in a row. But when you’re at home in July on your patio and you’re thinking back to it, there was a lot of good fun throughout that stretch in the playoffs and the regular season. It’s crazy how quick it turns around and you’re back at it again this year.”

Pickard, 33, attended Draisaitl’s wedding in France this summer and already got the sense the Oilers are even more determined to finish the job after losing to the Panthers in each of the past two Stanley Cup finals.

“I’d say hunger is probably the right word,” he said. “It starts with our leadership group. They’re as hungry as it gets. They work the hardest I’ve ever seen and it just trickles down from our captain (Connor McDavid) and Leon. They lead by example and it is something special to be a part of.”

After plenty of chatter about what general manager Stan Bowman might do, the Oilers enter training camp with the tandem of Skinner and Pickard once again.

There was one notable change though, as goalie coach Dustin Schwartz was replaced by Peter Aubry.

Pickard has been impressed by Aubry in their limited dealings so far, which included skating together for the first time on Monday.

“We’ve had some good dialogue over the summer over the phone,” said Pickard. “We went over some video of stuff he likes about my game. We’re going to be working together every single day. The biggest thing I’ve gathered from him early on is that he’s an outstanding individual and it’s nice to be around him.”

“The big thing for me is that my body feels good. I’m in good shape right now and I want to get off to a good start.”– Calvin Pickard

With goaltending generating plenty of debate and interest within the fan base, Pickard has thoroughly enjoyed being involved in a goalie partnership where both guys are genuinely supportive of one another.

“It’s important to have two guys that like each other and have each other’s backs,” he said. “That support system is huge.”

Over the course of the summer, Pickard has been working on a few technical elements of his game, including his stance.

“There’s always things I’m trying to sharpen up,” he said. “It’s good to go back to the fundamentals in the summer, so you’re not thinking about much as you go into the season.”

After appearing in 36 games (the most he’s played in the NHL since he was the starter for the Colorado Avalanche in 2016-17) and making 31 starts for the Oilers last season before his 10 playoff appearances (and seven starts), Pickard is looking to build on his recent success as he prepares for the new season.

“I really don’t know what it’s going to look like, to be honest,” said Pickard, who was 22-10-1 last season. “Being on a team like Edmonton, there’s lots of travel so the backup has to play a lot.

“The big thing for me is that my body feels good. I’m in good shape right now and I want to get off to a good start. I’ve played very well the last couple of years and I want to keep staying consistent and continue building off of that and being a better version of myself.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld