The Edmonton Oilers have faced heavy scrutiny for a trade back in December that saw them part ways with both Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak, as well as a second-round draft pick, in exchange for Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin. The move was made as an attempt to address the Oilers’ goaltending issues, though many questioned whether it was an upgrade at all.
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Jarry’s time with the Oilers got off to a rough start, as he was hurt in the early going. Since returning from injury, he has been one of, if not the NHL’s worst goaltender. In fact, his struggles had gotten so bad that they were largely to blame for the Oilers barely holding down a playoff spot.
As if that weren’t bad enough, there had been recent reports that the Oilers’ new number-one option had gotten into it with some of his teammates at practice. All the negativity surrounding Jarry had many questioning whether he could turn things around at any point. Thankfully for Oilers nation, that may have all changed on Tuesday night.
Jarry Shines in Tough Situation
Nobody expected Tuesday night to be an easy game for the Oilers. Many even pencilled it in as a scheduled loss. That was because they were going head-to-head with the NHL’s best team in the Colorado Avalanche.
Knowing what a big game it was, the Oilers chose to start Connor Ingram, who has been receiving more starts than Jarry as of late. Ingram was performing excellently, having kicked aside 15 of 17 shots before being flattened by Nathan MacKinnon part way through the second period. He was forced to leave the game, resulting in Jarry coming in cold in a game his team held a 3-2 lead.
Given how well the Oilers had played through the first half of the game, Jarry was in a very tough position. Had the Oilers gone on to lose, he likely would have received plenty of criticism regardless of how his personal performance was. Instead, he was able to stop 11 of the 12 shots he faced, several of which came just moments after he entered the crease.
This win was a massive one for the Oilers, who were able to jump ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights for second place in the Pacific Division. It was even bigger for Jarry, who looked as comfortable between the pipes as he has since arriving in Edmonton. Afterward, he was quick to praise his teammates.
“They were just playing really well,” Jarry said. “From the drop of the puck it was kind of a back that was back and forth but I thought the guys did a great job defending. They really kept the middle tight and we were getting pucks out, we were blocking shots. They did a really good job tonight.”
Those comments are big for Jarry, who was criticized by some for calling his teammates defensive structure, or perhaps lack thereof, following a loss to the Minnesota Wild shortly before the Olympic break. Realizing just how big this game could be for Jarry’s comments, his teammates were sure to applaud his efforts.
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“They were huge, both of them,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said of his goalies. “Jarrs steps in and immediately has to make a couple really big saves, and Ingram was great for us right until that point. Then Jarrs closed it down in the third for us. I can’t imagine it’s easy to step in as a back up and just jump right into it. I thought Jarrs did a great job. We really rallied behind those two.”
Jarry Could See Heavy Action in Short Stretch
There has been no update provided on Ingram as to whether or not he may be forced to miss any time. Should he be held out for any period of time, the Oilers are going to need Jarry to be at his best, and Tuesday’s effort should help him out in a big way confidence wise. The Oilers will have another tough task on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, before taking on the St. Louis Blues the next evening.
