- Knoblauch confirmed Ingram as the Game 5 starter Tuesday morning, calling him “our guy”
- Ingram allowed 14 goals on 93 shots across the first three games before Jarry took Game 4
- Read below for the full quote, video, and Ingram’s path from waivers to playoff starter
Connor Ingram is back in the Oilers’ crease for Game 5.
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Tuesday morning that Ingram will start the do-or-die Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Place. The Oilers trail the best-of-7 series 3-1 and need a win to keep the season going.
Knoblauch’s reasoning was simple. Ingram has been the No. 1 down the stretch and the team is going to ride with him.
“Ingram’s been our starter and he’s been our guy,” Knoblauch told reporters. “Now that our season’s on the line, we felt that we would go with our guy.”
Watch Knoblauch’s full pregame availability from Tuesday’s morning skate at Rogers Place:
Tristan Jarry got the call for Game 4 after Ingram allowed 14 goals on 93 shots in the first three games. Jarry stopped 34 of 38 in his first playoff start in nearly four years, but Edmonton fell 4-3 in overtime after a controversial review.
Knoblauch was leaning back to Ingram all along. The 28-year-old finished the regular season as Edmonton’s starter after the coach named him the guy on March 15.
Ingram’s road to this moment is its own story. Utah waived him in September during the Mammoth’s roster cleanup, Edmonton claimed him for future considerations a month later, and he spent the early part of the year bouncing between Bakersfield and the NHL bench. Tristan Jarry’s December injury cracked the door, and Ingram pushed it open with 28 saves in a 4-3 win over Vegas in his Oilers debut on December 21.
He went 16-10-3 with a 2.60 GAA and .899 save percentage in 32 regular-season starts. Whether McDavid plays or not, Ingram has the keys to the Oilers’ season. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET on Sportsnet, CBC, and TNT.
