Knoblauch hints at when Jarry will return for Edmonton Oilers
Even though Stuart Skinner is on a heater with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the guy they acquired hasn’t been all that bad either.
Tristan Jarry is unbeaten in three starts for the Oilers this season. However, he’s been out with a lower-body injury since Dec. 18.
The Oilers placed Jarry on Long-Term Injured Reserve on Jan. 6. However, the move was made to open up a roster spot for the return of Kasperi Kapanen.
Jarry’s placement on LTIR was retroactive to Dec. 18, meaning he’s eligible to return as early as Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
And, as Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch hinted at after morning skate on Saturday, Edmonton may not have to wait much past Monday for Jarry to return to the lineup.
“We expect Jarry to play something this upcoming week,” Knoblauch said after the skate.
On Saturday, Jarry participated in his first full team skate since the injury. Just four days ago, Knoblauch told reporters that Jarry was a couple of weeks away. The latest update suggests he’ll be back slightly sooner than expected.
The Oilers have gone 5-4 in Jarry’s absence. Newcomer Connor Ingram has picked up three of those five wins, providing quality starts (meaning he had a save percentage above the NHL average) in four of those five games.
With Jarry close to returning, will this spell the end of Calvin Pickard in Edmonton?
The veteran backup has been one of the NHL’s worst goalies this season. Among 60 regular NHL goalies this season, Pickard’s .871 save percentage is the sixth-worst mark in the league.
Jarry’s return could come at a favourable time as he gets eased back into action. The Oilers are up against some of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL over their next six games. Aside from the Blackhawks (24th in goals per-game), they also face the Nashville Predators (25th), New York Islanders (23rd), Vancouver Canucks (27th), New Jersey Devils (30th), and St. Louis Blues (32nd).