Why Going to Jarry Might Be Right Plan for Oilers in Game 4

Edmonton Journal sports writer Jim Matheson posted on social media that he isn’t shocked the Edmonton Oilers might be considering going with goaltender Tristan Jarry in Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks. It would mean pulling Connor Ingram and going with a netminder who has been anything but consistent over the past couple of months.

Matheson wrote:

“If Oilers start Jarry over Ingram, there are 2 reasons why. They traded Skinner to get him being most obvious. Also going to another G after 2 straight 1st round losses worked last April when Skinner sat for Pickard and won 4 straight. Jarry has only started 2 games in last month.”

I tend to agree with Matheson about the change having worked in the past. When the Oilers make goalie changes in the playoffs, history has shown that the move works. Perhaps it doesn’t continue to if the Oilers switch from Ingram to Jarry, but this is the only game where the Oilers can afford to find out.

As for the trade that saw Stuart Skinner go to Pittsburgh being justification to try Jarry out in goal, I’m not sure I buy that. That type of face-saving move is not meant to be done in a tight series where a loss means putting the Oilers on the brink of elimination, just because GM Stan Bowman made a bet that hasn’t yet paid off.

This is not the kind of change you make simply because the organization feels obligated to prove itself right. If the Oilers were worried about getting Jarry going, that needed to happen in the regular season.

The Oilers’ only two good reasons for making this move would be, first, that they don’t know if Ingram is feeling it. Second, they think Jarry is good to go and will put in a strong performance. If the Oilers are forced to play tighter, more defensively solid hockey as a result of the change, even better.

Jarry is rusty. That’s a fact. The rest might have done him some good and it appears Ingram is struggling to find the same form he had as the regular season closed. Ingram hasn’t been the problem, but he’s not really offered the solution either.

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