The goalie discussion remains a tiresome ongoing topic for the Edmonton Oilers, who have once again revealed glaring defensive problems in their most recent three defeats. While head coach Kris Knoblauch continues to protect goalkeeper Tristan Jarry, the goalkeeper himself and one of the team’s offensive stars see it a little differently.
Although the new signing from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who came to Alberta in a trade for Stuart Skinner in December, is not solely to blame for the recent flood of goals conceded, Leon Draisaitl still sees room for improvement in his teammate. “We have to defend better, make it easier for Tristan, and then I’m sure he can be a little bit better,” he explained.
The fact that the Oilers, who lost the Battle of Alberta 3-4 to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, have a lot of room for improvement defensively was clear from their most recent three defeats. During the 3:7 debacle against the Minnesota Wild, the first speculations about a new goalie discussion were making the rounds in Edmonton. Jarry didn’t perform well there either
Oilers: Jarry is self-critical
“It’s a two-way thing, but it starts with us in front of him, and then the game becomes a little easier for him,” said the Cologne native, who also denounced: “But,” he added, “there are saves that our goalkeepers have to make at some point.” Especially when Ryan Lomberg scored to make it 3-4, the goalkeeper, who finished the game with 21 saves, didn’t look too good.
“I could have made a few more saves,” said the 30-year-old self-critically: “Ultimately we would have achieved a better result if I had conceded two fewer goals. I could have played better at the beginning. That’s something I have to improve in the future. It starts with me. I can take more responsibility and play better.”
Head Coach Knoblauch didn’t want to allow any discussions about the Canadian to arise. Instead, the head coach pointed out that the “defensive structure” needed to improve. The tenor is that Jarry is the one who suffers from these gaps in the defensive network.
