The <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> are hoping to carry the momentum from <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/12/an-unlikely-hero-edmonton-oilers-drag-florida-panthers-back-to-alberta/">Calvin Pickard&#8217;s relief appearance</a> into Game 5, as he is set to start a pivotal game against the Florida Panthers Saturday night.

Pickard entered the second period of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/the-day-after-20-0-down-bad-oilers-shake-it-off-in-game-4-win-over-panthers/">Thursday&#8217;s Game 4</a>, slamming the door on the Panthers, allowing one goal against on 23 shots. It prompted the Oilers to be the first team in Stanley Cup Final history to erase a 3-0 deficit after the first period to win the game, as Leon Draisaitl&#8217;s overtime winner cemented the victory.
It will mark Pickard&#8217;s first start in the playoffs since Game of the Oilers&#8217; second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, a game in which <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/05/11/calvin-pickard-out-game-4-oilers-golden-knights/">Pickard was shaken up</a>. Stuart Skinner stepped back in for Game 3 and has been red hot for the team into the Stanley Cup Final.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdmontonOilers</a> morning skate:
RNH-McDavid-Brown Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Perry J. Skinner-Henrique-Frederic Kane-Janmark-Arvidsson
Kulak-Bouchard Nurse-Stecher Ekholm-Walman
Pickard
&mdash; Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bob_Stauffer/status/1933925992701255685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A goaltending change isn&#8217;t the only new thing the Oilers are deploying in Game 5, as the forward group has seen significant change. Most notably, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/05/16/a-look-at-how-oilers-kasperi-kapanen-went-from-waiver-wire-pickup-to-ot-playoff-hero/">Kasperi Kapanen</a> has come out of the lineup in favour of Viktor Arvidsson, with the latter sliding in on the Oilers&#8217; fourth line.
<a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/kris-knoblauch-hating-early-penalties-edmonton-oilers-sit-evander-kane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evander Kane&#8217;s spot in the top six</a> has been relinquished, as he swapped spots with Vasily Podkolzin, set to skate alongside Mattias Janmark and Arvidsson on the fourth line.
Edmonton&#8217;s top line of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor Brown, as well as the Oilers&#8217; third line of Adam Henrique, Jeff Skinner and Trent Frederic will remain the same. Leon Draisaitl will centre the second line with Podkolzin and Corey Perry.
On the blue line, things will remain the same from Game 4, with Brett Kulak and Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, Darnell Nurse and Troy Stecher on the second and Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman on the third. It will be interesting to monitor the deployment of the defenceman Saturday, as Stecher — by way of a coaches decision — only played 4:18 in Game 4.
He took eight shifts in the first period, with his final one in that frame seeing the Panthers score their third goal of the period, and his final shift of the game came early in the second period.
Puck drop between the Oilers and Panthers is set for after 6:00 PM MT.
<hr />
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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The <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> are hoping to carry the momentum from <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/12/an-unlikely-hero-edmonton-oilers-drag-florida-panthers-back-to-alberta/">Calvin Pickard's relief appearance</a> into Game 5, as he is set to start a pivotal game against the Florida Panthers Saturday night.



Pickard entered the second period of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/the-day-after-20-0-down-bad-oilers-shake-it-off-in-game-4-win-over-panthers/">Thursday's Game 4</a>, slamming the door on the Panthers, allowing one goal against on 23 shots. It prompted the Oilers to be the first team in Stanley Cup Final history to erase a 3-0 deficit after the first period to win the game, as Leon Draisaitl's overtime winner cemented the victory.

It will mark Pickard's first start in the playoffs since Game of the Oilers' second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, a game in which <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/05/11/calvin-pickard-out-game-4-oilers-golden-knights/">Pickard was shaken up</a>. Stuart Skinner stepped back in for Game 3 and has been red hot for the team into the Stanley Cup Final.
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https://twitter.com/Bob_Stauffer/status/1933925992701255685

A goaltending change isn't the only new thing the Oilers are deploying in Game 5, as the forward group has seen significant change. Most notably, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/05/16/a-look-at-how-oilers-kasperi-kapanen-went-from-waiver-wire-pickup-to-ot-playoff-hero/">Kasperi Kapanen</a> has come out of the lineup in favour of Viktor Arvidsson, with the latter sliding in on the Oilers' fourth line.

<a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/kris-knoblauch-hating-early-penalties-edmonton-oilers-sit-evander-kane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evander Kane's spot in the top six</a> has been relinquished, as he swapped spots with Vasily Podkolzin, set to skate alongside Mattias Janmark and Arvidsson on the fourth line.

Edmonton's top line of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor Brown, as well as the Oilers' third line of Adam Henrique, Jeff Skinner and Trent Frederic will remain the same. Leon Draisaitl will centre the second line with Podkolzin and Corey Perry.

On the blue line, things will remain the same from Game 4, with Brett Kulak and Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, Darnell Nurse and Troy Stecher on the second and Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman on the third. It will be interesting to monitor the deployment of the defenceman Saturday, as Stecher — by way of a coaches decision — only played 4:18 in Game 4.

He took eight shifts in the first period, with his final one in that frame seeing the Panthers score their third goal of the period, and his final shift of the game came early in the second period.

Puck drop between the Oilers and Panthers is set for after 6:00 PM MT.

<hr />

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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Calvin Pickard starts for Oilers in Game 5 against Panthers as Kane starts on fourth line

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