One hundred and twenty minutes of game time. Ninety seven hours on the clock. Fourty two shots on net. Zero goals against.
Pick a date last season and ask Edmonton Oilers fans if Tristan Jarry would be the goaltender of record for that two game span in 2026-27. You'd get a resounding no. It's difficult to believe it in the present, but would have been impossible to imagine a year ago. Jarry's flaws as a goaltender were apparent from his first start as an Oiler, as were the team's own defensive holes under previous head coach Kris Knoblauch.
A one-sided Battle of Alberta
The fandom held its collective breath when Devon Levi went down with injury. A month ago, Levi was an unknown, but he'd established himself as the team's starter, and all of us were gunshy when it came to Jarry. The blowout versus the Toronto Maple Leafs felt a bit too familiar, and the shootout loss to the struggling Detroit Red Wings underwhelming.
But Jarry found something this week. He wasn't sitting on his tail versus the Calgary Flames. He made a number of high quality saves on high danger opportunities (14 of them to be precise). The Oilers took a while to get rolling, only scoring the second of their four goals at 15:05 in the middle frame. Jarry prevented a Flames rally, and stayed solid through to the finish of the game.
Shutting down a superstar
Matthew Schaefer did not look like a future Norris winner versus the Oilers, ending the game pointless and at minus 2. Of course, all of his teammates were held pointless as well, that's how shutouts work. Meanwhile, the Oilers' own stars continued their dominance, nicely supported by a good amount of depth scoring. The result, after a tight first period that including an unsuccessful five minute power play for Edmonton, was a game where the Oilers slowly pulled away from the Isles. Last season, this matchup would have more likely been an affair where the teams traded goals until late in the third. This year? It was never in doubt.
Jarry hasn't suddenly become a Vezina calibre goaltender. But goalies, like any player, have the ability to watch film, identify areas of weakness, and make them an offseason focus. Jarry appears to be more confident in his net, and with a team in front of him playing a more complete brand of hockey, he looks to be capable of doing his part to help the team win.
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