Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch has officially designated Connor Ingram as the team’s starting goaltender. This will be a shift away from struggling netminder Tristan Jarry as the team prepares for a crucial four-game homestand.
In his pre-game media availability ahead of yesterday’s matchup against Nashville, Knoblauch made it clear that the goaltending duties will now operate on merit rather than the typical 1A/1B rotation that many teams employ.
“Right now we are going to be playing the best goalie, the one who’s giving us the best chance of winning each night,” Knoblauch stated. “Right now Connor is our starting goalie. He will be getting the majority of the starts as of now until something changes.”
Ingram has seized the opportunity since being called up from the Bakersfield Condors in December. Through 20 appearances this season, he has posted a 9–6–2 record with one shutout, a 2.79 GAA and a .891 save percentage, numbers that have stood in better contrast to Jarry’s.
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Connor Ingram over Tristan Jarry in net
Ingram came to Edmonton via trade from Utah on October 1 in exchange for future considerations. After spending the early part of the season in the AHL, he was recalled when Jarry went on injured reserve in mid-December and has since made a compelling case to remain the team’s number one option.
The situation has been far more difficult for Tristan Jarry, who arrived in Edmonton with high expectations after being acquired from Pittsburgh on December 12. The trade saw the Oilers send Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for Jarry and forward Samuel Poulin.
Since his Oilers debut, Jarry has posted an .855 save percentage (58th out of 60 qualified goalies) and 4.17 GAA (60th of 60 qualified goalies), numbers that have seemingly forced Knoblauch’s hand in making the goaltending change.
When asked about how to handle Jarry’s situation, Knoblauch pointed out the importance of confidence for goaltenders.
“Probably more than anything in that position, a goaltender, it’s his confidence,” Knoblauch explained. “When he came back from injury, he missed some time. He wasn’t practicing. He was just getting into the groove. Yes, he was cleared and he was healthy, but it takes some time.”
The coach acknowledged that the team’s defensive play hasn’t helped Jarry’s cause.
“We weren’t playing well in front of him, he wasn’t playing well, and it just compounded into deteriorating his game and ultimately deteriorating his confidence,” Knoblauch said.
Kris Knoblauch still optimistic about Tristan Jarry’s potential
Despite the current struggles, Knoblauch remains optimistic about Jarry’s potential to contribute down the stretch.
“The only way you can pick that up and feel good about your game is, well, it starts in practices. Doing the little things, working hard, and building that confidence through making plays in practice, which will later translate into games,” he said.
“I think he’s a wonderful goaltender and we’re going to need him down the stretch. We can’t run Ingram every single game. As well as we like how he’s playing right now, we’re going to need both our goalies, and we’ll need him to be at his best.”
However, with only one back-to-back remaining on the schedule in late April, Knoblauch acknowledged that Ingram is physically capable of handling a heavy workload if his performance continues.
The goaltending clarity comes as the Oilers return home from a 2–1–1 road trip that Knoblauch viewed as largely positive despite the mixed results.
“Overall, I thought we played a pretty good road trip,” the coach said. “The first two we played against two good teams and came away with a win. The Dallas game was obviously a letdown.”
Connor McDavid milestone watch
Adding to the storylines around the team, Connor McDavid sits just two goals away from 400 career goals which would make him the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach that milestone.
Knoblauch discussed McDavid’s shooting mentality, noting that early in the season the captain wasn’t shooting enough before the media attention spurred him into action.
“I think early in the year he was not shooting. I think you guys made it very clear that he wasn’t shooting and asked him a lot of questions about it. It fired him up a little bit and he went on a goal-scoring streak there,” Knoblauch said.
The coach pointed out that McDavid is most dangerous when he’s in attack mode, whether that means shooting or carrying the puck to the net.
“When he’s in that attack mentality, the opposition usually has to have one or two defenders at least one, if not a lot of times two and it usually opens up a lot of ice,” Knoblauch explained, referencing a recent goal in St. Louis where McDavid shot from an unusual location at the top of the circles.
As the Oilers begin their four-game homestand with a win against a Nashville team fighting for playoff positioning, the team will look to build on the positives from their road trip while cleaning up the defensive details that cost them in St. Louis.
With Ingram now firmly entrenched as the starting goaltender and Jarry working to rebuild his confidence in practice, the Oilers’ goaltending situation appears to have found clarity at least for now.
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