Calvin Pickard to start in goal, make Arizona Coyotes debut
Jan 23, 2019, 2:24 PM
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Calvin Pickard makes a save against the Ottawa Senators during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
(Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Arizona Coyotes goaltender Calvin Pickard is expected to make his Coyotes debut on Wednesday night in Montreal as Darcy Kuemper will rest on the second day of a back-to-back.
Pickard will finally see the ice in a Coyotes uniform for the first time, despite the fact that he was acquired on waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers all the way back on Nov. 29. At the time, Kuemper was hurt but Adin Hill held things down by the time Kuemper got healthy. Pickard was a healthy scratch for a length of time before going to AHL Tucson on a conditioning loan.
Pickard’s conditioning loan expired on Jan. 13, and Hill was reassigned to Tucson.
“All I know is this guy, for two months, has not complained,” coach Rick Tocchet said Wednesday. “He works hard. He went down on his own on conditioning. I’ve talked to other people on other teams, GMs, he’s just a fabulous guy. That’s the first thing — his character. I really hope we play well in front of him.”
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His debut for Arizona will mark the fourth team with which he’ll have made an NHL appearance. He played 11 games with the Flyers this year, one game with the Maple Leafs last year and 86 games in three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche before that.
He has a career save percentage of .914, but his save percentage since leaving Colorado has been .863. The Flyers waived him this year after he posted a .863 save percentage and gave up four goals on six shots in his final game.
