Edmonton Oilers' Ingram putting up brutal playoff numbers so far
The Edmonton Oilers might be careening toward yet another playoff goaltending controversy.
Heading into the postseason, the hope was that Connor Ingram could finally provide consistent playoff goaltending in the playoffs. He had taken over the Oilers’ starting role and seemed to be playing some of his best hockey of the season.
Yet, just three games into the playoffs, things are not looking great.Ā Ingram has put up a disappointing .849 save percentage and has allowed 14 goals against through three games, and has not been able to bail out Edmonton’s poor defensive play against the Anaheim Ducks.Ā
According to MoneyPuck.com, Ingram now ranks second-last among playoff goalies with -3.0 goals-saved above-expected (GSAx).
MoneyPuck.com
Funnily enough, the only goalie with a worse GSAx is Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal, who has posted a -3.2 through the first three games of the series. Ex-Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner is above both goaltenders, albeit barely, with a -2.8 GSAx through three games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Those aren’t the type of numbers you want to see if you’re Edmonton. It’s true that the team’s defensive play hasn’t been up to par in the playoffs so far, but the analytics suggest that Ingram has been below-average as well.
Here is a closer look at how his GSAx has fluctuated in the first three games against the Ducks:
Game 1: +1.12
Game 2: -2.14
Game 3: -2.02
The struggles in Games 2 and 3 might have cost Ingram a shot at redemption heading into Game 4. Though it hasn’t been confirmed, there has been speculation that the Oilers may turn to Tristan Jarry between the pipes.
It’d be a risky decision, considering Jarry does not have a great track record in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jarry holds a career 2-6 playoff record with a less-than-stellar .891 save percentage in that span.
Edmonton could also opt to go with Calvin Pickard between the pipes, who has more playoff experience than both Ingram and Jarry, but that seems very unlikely at this stage.
The Oilers are far from dead in this series against the Ducks, but they will need to see both better goaltending and better defence if they hope to advance past the second round for the fifth-straight season.