Late in the second period of his team’s 3-1 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday (Dec. 18), Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry left the game with an apparent lower-body injury.
The 30-year-old netminder, who Edmonton acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, appeared to suffer the injury while pushing across from left to right in his crease.
Oilers backup goalie Calvin Pickard took over for Jarry and played the final 23:52 of the game, stopping all 12 shots he faced to preserve victory for Edmonton. Emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) Jason San Antonio made his way to the Oilers dressing room, just in case he was needed.
Tristan Jarry, Edmonton Oilers (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
When he was asked about Jarry’s status following the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was unable to provide any details. “We’ll see,” Knoblauch told the media. “I’m not sure how serious it is, but I have no updates.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for Jarry, who was playing only his third game as a member of the Oilers and was settling in nicely on his new team. Edmonton is in the middle of a busy stretch of its schedule that will see the Oilers play six more times before ringing in 2026.
Pickard is the only other goalie currently on Edmonton’s roster, so if Jarry is sidelined for even just one game, the Oilers will need to recall a netminder from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The only question is, who? There are two options, Connor Ingram or Matt Tomkins, and neither is the clear-cut choice.
Ingram Has Struggled in the AHL
On Oct. 1, Edmonton acquired Ingram from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for future considerations and immediately assigned him to Bakersfield.
Connor Ingram, Bakersfield Condors (Photo credit: Henderson Silver Knights)
Many observers speculated that Ingram would ultimately replace Pickard as the backup in Edmonton. The 28-year-old Ingram had established himself as an NHLer over the last three seasons, appearing in 99 games with the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club. He won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for 2023-24 after going 23-21-1 while posting a 2.91 goals-against average (GAA) and .907 save percentage (SV%).
But Ingram has struggled mightily with the Condors, going 4-5-2 with a dreadful 4.04 GAA and an even worse .856 SV%. In his last start, on Dec. 13, Ingram was lit up for seven goals on 27 shots against the Tucson Roadrunners, although Bakersfield prevailed 8-7 in overtime.
Tomkins Has Provided Better Goaltending
Tomkins is also a newcomer this season to the Oilers organization. After spending the last two seasons in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, the City of Edmonton product signed a two-year, two-way contract with his hometown team on July 1.
Related: Goalie Matt Tomkins Journey Back to Edmonton and the Oilers
The 31-year-old Tomkins has played just six NHL games in his career, and there was never any question about his role in the Oilers’ organization. They were bringing him in to be a steady veteran presence between the pipes in the minors, and that’s pretty much what he has provided.
Over 15 appearances with the Condors, Tomkins has a record of 7-4-3 with a GAA of 3.30 and SV% of .893. He’s had some very good outings, including a 28-save shutout against the Henderson Silver Knights, but hasn’t been able to string a number of good starts together.
No Clear Choice Between Ingram and Tomkins
While neither Ingram nor Tomkins have given reason for the Oilers to feel confident in recalling them, the latter has certainly been the better of the two goalies through the first two months of the AHL season. Ingram, however, has more than 20 times the experience at the NHL level, with over 6,000 minutes (regular season and playoffs) compared to just 360 for Tomkins.
It would be expected that the Oilers will have a clearer picture of Jarry’s status on Friday (Dec. 19), but they may have to make a move quickly, given they’ll be right back in action on Saturday (Dec. 20) afternoon with a visit to the Minnesota Wild, then return home to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday (Dec. 21) evening.
Fortunately for Edmonton, Pickard has shown himself to be one of the most reliable backups in the NHL over the last couple years. The Oilers can feel confident if they need to roll with Pickard for a stint over the next while.
