Pittsburgh probably won’t get a chance to face former teammate Tristan Jarry when the Penguins visit the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
Jarry was traded from Pittsburgh to Edmonton on Dec. 12, along with forward Samuel Poulin, for fellow goalie Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.
Jarry faced his former team four days after the trade and made 26 saves in Edmonton’s 6-4 win. He was injured two days later, however, and missed nearly a month with a lower-body injury before returning on Jan. 13 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators.
Jarry has been alternating starts with Connor Ingram over the last four games.
“Right now, they’re both playing very well for us, which is nice,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We did have a plan with Jarry coming back from injury, not giving him too many games because he’s just returning to play. We’re getting over that point where he could play back-to-back soon, but not right away.”
The Oilers are coming off a 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, preventing them from winning three games in a row for the first time this season. It was the ninth time this season that Edmonton came up short when trying to win three in a row.
“We want to, obviously, get some momentum and win some games in a row, and that’s how you climb up the standings,” Knoblauch said. “I like the fact we respond well after losses … but if we’re going to be a really good team and move up the standings, we’ve got to be able to win consecutive games, more than two.”
Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid also will look to start a new point streak after his 17-game run ended against the Devils.
Edmonton likely won’t face Skinner, either. He made 18 saves for the Penguins in a 4-1 win at the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, extending Pittsburgh’s point streak to five games (3-0-2).
Arturs Silovs likely will start in goal against the Oilers.
Pittsburgh played the Flames without two of its top defensemen — Kris Letang (upper-body injury) and Erik Karlsson (lower body).
Letang missed his first game of the season, and Karlsson sat out his fifth straight. Both are day-to-day.
“You see it throughout the league — injuries are going to happen — but we just want to make sure that when somebody is coming out because of that, then it’s going to be an opportunity for someone else,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I think guys have done a good job of going in there and, potentially, taking on some different responsibilities, whether it’s on special teams or more minutes at 5-on-5, and taking advantage of those opportunities when they’re there.”
Ryan Shea replaced Letang as the quarterback of the first power-play unit against Calgary and said the experience was smoothed out by the rest of the guys on the unit.
“I do my best,” Shea said. “Obviously, I’ve got big shoes to fill and, when guys go down, it’s next guy up and you’ve got to be ready for every opportunity that’s thrown at you.”
–Field Level Media
