Still more than a day to go before the critical Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. And you know one story will dominate the headlines—who’s starting in goal for the Oilers. The goaltending problem has put the Oilers on the brink. Being the head coach of the team, Kris Knoblauch is facing the heat, both from the fans and the media. But whatever happens in Game 6, good or bad, it won’t be just on Coach Knoblauch.The decision comes against a backdrop of mounting criticism from hockey analysts and broadcast hosts across North America and abroad. TSN’s coverage repeatedly highlighted Edmonton’s “flat starts” and questioned whether Knoblauch had “lost the room” after juggling lineups mid-series. On radio and studio shows, commentators questioned the erratic goaltending rotations—with one TSN panel specifically breaking down how constant goalie changes have been “a major storyline” through the Final.Meanwhile, syndicated sports analysis noted that when Knoblauch assured post-Game 5, “There’s no fault at Calvin at all,” many pundits frowned, calling it a thin defense of a struggling netminder. The scrutiny was even noted in international outlets, which reported that Canada’s obsessive hockey media seemed to be turning on its own contender. In a “hockey country” where pressure runs deep—as Leon Draisaitl himself acknowledged—the coach suddenly found himself at the center of national resentment over every indecisive goalie choice and sluggish start.Eventually, one of them will be picked—Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard. Who’s the Oilers coach going with? We don’t know yet. And it seems it will come down to the wire with a lot of minds coming together to decide it. That’s right. Kris Knoblauch was speaking to journalists on Zoom after Game 5 about how the Oilers are preparing for the game in Florida. This is where the coach shared the key decision-making bit.Hockey on Fanatics View shared the video on YouTube on June 16, where NHL staff writer Paul Strizhevsky asked the Oilers coach how the latter will decide which goalie to pick given that they have had the same level of performance in the playoffs and especially the Stanley Cup Finals. Well, it’s a happy problem to have if both your goalies are performing well and you can’t choose who to pick. But the Oilers have it in reverse.Credits: X/@NHLBoth Skinner and Pickard have conceded goals galore. Both of them look shaky. Neither of them is making the fans feel confident about the Oilers’ chances. How will Kris Knoblauch decide this predicament? Well, thankfully, he doesn’t have to do it alone. “That’s a conversation with the staff,” the Oilers coach said. “Obviously, our goaltending coach, uh, Dustin Schwarz … with all the assistants, the general manager, and kind of weigh in how everyone feels and what’s best moving forward.”That will be one big brainstorming session. Especially when it decides the fate of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. And Knoblauch even admitted it won’t be easy. But not because of the erratic goaltending display we have seen. Rather, he is backing his netminders. “It’s not an easy decision. We got two goalies that have shown that they can play extremely well, win hockey games. And, um, we feel that no matter who we choose, they can, uh, win the game.”We did see that in Game 4 when Calvin Pickard replaced Skinner and let in just 1 goal while facing 23 shots. He had a save percentage of .957. Skinner has looked bad in this Stanley Cup Finals series, but he has also been quite dependable at a stretch before that. In Game 1 only, he had a save percentage of .906 while facing 32 shots.In the Dallas Stars series in the Western Conference Finals, he was in inspired form. In Game 2, he conceded none while facing 25 shots. The next game, he got beat once while facing 34 shots, and his save percentage was .971. In Game 4, he got a .966 save percentage while facing 29 shots. So, Kris Knoblauch is not wrong about having good goaltenders at his disposal. In fact, the Oilers coach is hoping his offensive line helps out in making the goalie’s job easier.Kris Knoblauch says offense can change the goaltending narrativeDuring the chat with the reporters, regional NHL.com writer Tracey Myers asked a curious question. “With your goalies, regardless of who starts, you know, how much does getting that good start help them specifically?” By a good start, she implied the Oilers starting strong, taking the lead, and making the Florida Panthers come out to chase the game. “It’s got to be tough when you’re a goaltender and you’re trying to play from behind and everything, and how much, no matter who starts, does that help them specifically?”Kris Knoblauch totally agreed, “Absolutely. Um, you know when the pressure is not on them that they have to make every single save to keep this close or keep us ahead, um, it’d be nice to get some goal support.” The Oilers skaters have always started poorly with less intensity, a weaker forecheck than the Panthers, and less physicality. On the other hand, players like Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Niko Mikkola, and Gustav Forsling impose themselves on their opponents. Even the 3rd and 4th lines bring so much intensity; the Oilers pale in comparison.Image via Facebook/Oilers NationPlayers like Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard have underperformed. Connor McDavid has been kept quiet. Meanwhile, the Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the 1st period of Game 2. In Game 3, they went 3-0 up in 20 minutes. In Game 5, they trailed 3-0 till the end of the 2nd period. Clearly, the forwards have to do better. And that’s what Kris Knoblauch said. “Obviously, last night was, uh, a case where we were having difficulty generating offense.”The Oilers coach said the scoreline looked bad in Game 5, but Pickard did not have much to do with it. The Panthers really played well, and the ones they scored were coming anyway. “Overall, I thought, um, you know, we limited the opportunities; the quality of opportunities were really good, so there’s no fault at Calvin at all on any of those goals.”Rather, Kris Knoblauch hopes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the others can finally announce their arrival in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. “It’d be nice to have that, have that lead and play with that, uh, just knowing that they have to open things up when they’re trailing.” Let’s see if the Oilers coach gets his wish.The post Facing Canada’s Hate, Kris Knoblauch Clears Air Over Edmonton Oilers Goalie Decision for Stanley Cup appeared first on EssentiallySports.