- Tristan Jarry opens the season as Edmonton’s starter after a rough half-season with the Oilers
- Frederik Andersen is not expected back from a knee injury until late October
- Read below for video from Oilers camp and what Stan Bowman said about the bounce back
Tristan Jarry knows what comes with playing goal in Edmonton.
The 31-year-old gets the net when the Oilers open the season Sept. 29 against Vancouver, and he is not pretending it is a quiet job.
“There’s obviously a lot of pressure, but there’s a lot of pressure everywhere. To be able to play for this team, with these players, and hopefully go a long way and be that last team playing in June, that’s your goal. To be the goalie for that, it would be something special.”
Here is the video of Jarry’s full availability from the opening of camp:
The market has earned its reputation. Edmonton has been hard on its goaltenders for years, and that did not change when Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard carried the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
Jarry’s first run there gave the critics material. He came over from Pittsburgh in the Dec. 12 trade, played three games, hurt his lower body and sat for close to a month. The line when it was over read 9-6-2 with one shutout and a 3.86 goals-against average in 19 games.
Stan Bowman was asked what went wrong.
“And when he came back, he never found his game. And our team didn’t really play great in front of him either, so it was somewhat of the worst circumstances.”
The general manager likes what the summer produced.
“He’s setting himself up in the best way possible to bounce back. And we’re confident and hopeful that will happen.”
Jarry landed on the same word.
“Obviously, last year didn’t go the way that I wanted. I think it’s just a confidence thing, knowing after what happened and how it did. It was just having the confidence and knowing that it’s not going to happen again.”
He will have company. Seven goalies are in camp. Devon Levi arrived from Buffalo in an offseason trade with 39 NHL games across four seasons on his resume.
Frederik Andersen signed in July after leading Carolina to a Stanley Cup, and he was the projected starter until a knee injury from that playoff run pushed his return to late October. Edmonton plans to carry three goalies once he is cleared.
“That’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment. It’ll be a great challenge for the three of us to be our best every night.”
Jarry gets the first crack on Sept. 29. Holding the net past late October is a different job.
