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  • Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterMay 13, 2024, 02:08 AM ET

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      Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

The decision to pull goaltender Stuart Skinner after the second period of a 4-3 loss Sunday to the Vancouver Canucks has left the Edmonton Oilers facing questions about their goaltending for a second straight postseason.

Skinner, who has started every game during these playoffs, was replaced by Calvin Pickard to begin the third period. Skinner was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots in a Game 3 that saw the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

“Yes, we need more saves,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Tonight, obviously, I felt like that with Picks going in the third period but defense along with goaltending is very important to winning hockey games. Especially in the long term. Yeah, it’s got to be better.”

Knoblauch when asked about how Skinner was responding to the pressure of this postseason, said that Game 3 was a performance that he would like to have back.

“We’ll see what he’s got in the future,” Knoblauch said. “Whether that’s Game 4 or Game 5 or whatever it is. We’ll be seeing Stu again and have no doubt he’ll respond and play well.”

As a rookie last season, Skinner emerged as the No. 1 goaltender for his hometown team by winning 29 games and finishing with a .914 save percentage. His postseason wasn’t quite as smooth. He finished 5-6 with a 3.68 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage.

Skinner was pulled four times during the Oilers’ 12 playoff games with three of those early exits coming in a second-round series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

Following a rocky start, the Oilers moved on from coach Jay Woodcroft and hired Knoblauch. His hiring led to a resurgence with Skinner being one of the primarily beneficiaries. He would win 36 games while posting a 2.62 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 57 starts.

The Oilers advanced to the second round by beating the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for a third straight season. Skinner finished with a 2.57 goals-against average in an opening-round series that saw him do everything from record a shutout in Game 4 to allowing four goals in consecutive games to open the series.

Even with the Canucks averaging 19 shots per game against the Oilers, they have scored more than three goals in each contest. It’s left Skinner with a 4.63 goals-against average and a .790 save percentage after Game 3.

Knoblauch not committing to a Game 4 starter in his post-game remarks leaves questions about who could get the net as the Oilers attempt to even the series when it resumes Tuesday.

Pickard, who went 12-7-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in the regular season, hadn’t appeared in a postseason game until Sunday. He finished three saves in the third period.

There’s also Jack Campbell.

Campbell joined the Oilers in free agency before the 2022-23 season on a five-year deal worth $5 million annually. He struggled to find consistency during his first campaign which led to him backing up Skinner in the second half of the season and in the playoffs. While Campbell stopped 49 of the 51 shots he faced in relief of Skinner last postseason, he never started for the Oilers.

This season saw Campbell begin 1-4 with a 4.50 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage. It led to the Oilers promoting Pickard from their AHL affiliate with Campbell going the other way. Campbell went 18-13-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .918 for the Bakersfield Condors in the regular season but only had one postseason performance, a game that saw him allow five goals on 35 shots.

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Sovereignty outduels Journalism to capture Derby

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1 hour ago

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May 4, 2025

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Sovereignty outduels Journalism to capture Derby

  • ESPN News Services

May 3, 2025, 07:18 PM ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby in the slop on Saturday.

Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay.

This time, he knew right away.

Sovereignty won by 1½ lengths and snapped an 0-for-13 Derby skid for owner Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

It was quite a weekend for the sheikh. His filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday, Ruling Court won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain.

Sovereignty covered 1¼ miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds.

Journalism found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside. He and Sovereignty hooked up at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away.

Baeza was third, Final Gambit was fourth and Owen Almighty finished fifth.

Rain made for a soggy day, with the Churchill Downs dirt strip listed as sloppy and horse racing fans protecting their fancy hats and clothing with clear plastic ponchos.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Zilisch to miss Xfinity race in Texas after wreck

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4 hours ago

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May 3, 2025

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Zilisch to miss Xfinity race in Texas after wreck

  • Associated Press

Apr 30, 2025, 07:23 PM ET

FORT WORTH, Texas — Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old driver already with two NASCAR Xfinity Series race wins, will miss Saturday’s race at Texas because of lower back injuries sustained in a last-lap wreck at Talladega.

Trackhouse Racing said Wednesday that its development driver will return as soon as possible to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The team didn’t provide any additional details about Zilisch’s injuries.

Cup Series regular Kyle Larson will drive the No. 88 in Texas. After that, the Xfinity Series has a two-week break before racing again May 24 at Charlotte.

Zilisch, sixth in points through the first 11 races, was driving for the win at Talladega Superspeedway when contact on the backstretch sent his car spinning, and head-on into inside wall.

Zilisch won in his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen last Sept. 14. He added another win this year at Austin, the same weekend that he made his Cup Series debut. He has six top-10 finishes in his 15 Xfinity races.

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23XI, Front Row ask judge to toss NASCAR claim

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4 hours ago

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May 3, 2025

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23XI, Front Row ask judge to toss NASCAR claim

  • Associated Press

Apr 30, 2025, 07:08 PM ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The two teams suing NASCAR asked a judge to dismiss the sanctioning body’s counterclaim in court Wednesday.

In a 20-page filing in district court in North Carolina, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports opposed NASCAR’s motion to amend its original counterclaim. The teams argued that the need to amend the counterclaim further demonstrates the weakness of NASCAR’s arguments, calling them an attempt by NASCAR to distract and shift attention away from its own unlawful, monopolistic actions.

NASCAR’s counterclaim singled out Michael Jordan’s longtime business manager, Curtis Polk. Jordan is co-owner of 23XI Racing.

The legal battle began after more than two years of negotiations on new charter agreements — NASCAR’s equivalent of a franchise model — and the 30-page filing contends that Polk “willfully” violated antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in connection with the most recent charter agreements.

23XI and Front Row were the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign the new agreements, which were presented to the teams last September in a take-it-or-leave-it offer a mere 48 hours before the start of NASCAR’s playoffs.

The charters were fought for by the teams ahead of the 2016 season and twice have been extended. The latest extension is for seven years to match the current media rights deal and guarantee 36 of the 40 spots in each week’s field to the teams that hold the charters, as well as other financial incentives. 23XI and Front Row refused to sign and sued, alleging NASCAR and the France family that owns the stock car series are a monopoly.

NASCAR already has lost one round in court in which the two teams have been recognized as chartered organizations for the 2025 season as the legal dispute winds through the courts. NASCAR has also appealed a judge’s rejection of its motion to dismiss the case.

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