It wasn`t an ideal situation for a debut, but it was a debut nonetheless.
Olivier Rodrigue, the Edmonton Oilers` goaltender, played his first NHL game on Friday night. He stepped in after the starting goalie, Calvin Pickard, was taken out of the game after allowing five goals.
Earlier on Sunday, the 24-year-old Rodrigue was urgently called up by the Oilers to be the backup goalie because Stuart Skinner, the usual starter, was injured.
Rodrigue started in goal at the beginning of the third period. Pickard had allowed five goals in the second period alone, a record for the Kraken for the most goals scored in a single period at home.
Pickard`s game fell apart in the middle of the second period when Jani Nyman, Matty Beniers, and Andre Burakovsky scored three quick goals in just over two minutes, turning a close game into a one-sided affair.
Burakovsky`s goal was particularly straightforward. He received a pass and easily scored into an open net as Pickard was positioned too far to the left of the goal.
This season, Rodrigue has played 40 games for the Bakersfield Condors, with a goals-against average of 3.05 and a save percentage of .899.
Rodrigue, originally from Chicoutimi, Quebec, was drafted by the Oilers in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft as the 62nd overall pick.
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