Babcock reveals which Edmonton Oilers goalie will start opening night
The Edmonton Oilers are back in action, and that means more questions about the goaltending.
It’s a brand-new trio of goaltenders manning the crease in Edmonton this season. For the first time in several seasons, the Oilers will not have Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard in the mix to start the season.
Instead, those responsibilities will fall to Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi, while an injured Frederik Andersen is hopeful to get into the fray sometime later this month. Throughout training camp, it has been Jarry and Levi who have been competing with each other to get first crack at the Oilers’ starting job, and both have put together pretty compelling arguments.
Both appeared in two preseason contests, with Jarry’s .952 save percentage slightly edging out Levi’s impressive .942 save percentage. It’s effectively a coin-toss if you want to go off those stats, but head coach Mike Babcock has already made his decision.
The veteran coach revealed after Monday’s practice that Jarry will get the nod in net against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
“I thought he’s been solid in the two games he’s played,” Babcock said. “I thought he was way better night two when we were under siege, when he played… He’s really worked hard in the offseason; he’s really improved his conditioning. He’s worked close with [Oilers goalie coach Peter Aubry], and they seem to have a plan to stabilize his game.
“Any time you have a tough year, and those things happen in the [NHL], you always want to bounce back, and he’s ready to do that.”
Things did not go to plan for Jarry after he was acquired by the Oilers last December. He was expected to take over Edmonton’s starting position and bring some stability and consistency to the position.
Instead, he quickly got injured and couldn’t quite regain his game down the stretch, eventually losing the starter’s job to Connor Ingram. With Ingram now retired and the more veteran Andersen hurt, Jarry was the veteran option for the Oilers.
That doesn’t mean that Jarry isn’t at risk of losing the job once again. You have to imagine the leash is incredibly short this time around, and the Oilers have a motivated young goaltender in Levi ready to pounce on any opportunity that comes his way. Adding a Stanley Cup champion in Andersen later down the line will also add some pressure.
We’ve heard all summer that the Oilers were willing to see if Jarry had a bounce-back season in him, and he’ll finally get his first chance to prove himself on Tuesday night.