Connor Ingram earned his role as the Edmonton Oilers' starting goalie. Like Stuart Skinner in the last two years, how Ingram plays could be the biggest variable in the team's playoff performance.
We've all become familiar with goaltending being a storyline for the Edmonton Oilers.
It persisted over the last two playoffs with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard patrolling the crease with rollercoaster play. And after the Oilers traded Skinner for Tristan Jarry earlier this season, it felt like any negative talk about the goaltending came to an end.
That feeling was wrong. Jarry's had an .858 save percentage and 3.86 goals-against average in 19 games with the Oilers.
But late in the season, Connor Ingram has shown why Kris Knoblauch was right to trust him as the new No. 1 goaltender.
While we know Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl (if healthy) will play lights-out hockey and lead the way for their teammates in the playoffs, and we know depth is a key to winning games for every team, how Ingram ends up playing in the post-season could make the difference between winning the Stanley Cup and going home in the first round.
In his last five starts, Ingram has recorded a save percentage of .952 or better in three of them. He has a 1.92 goals-against average and .927 SP overall in that span.
He hasn't had to be perfect, but he's been finding ways to keep Edmonton in games. Even in a losing effort on April 13 to the Colorado Avalanche, he kept Edmonton in the game, stopping 31 of 32 shots in the 2-1 shootout loss at home.
With Ingram continuing to show the Oilers can rely on him more often, the ability to stay focused and stop the shots seems to come naturally to him right now.
"I'm not the guy for answers like that," Ingram said. "I don't really know what I'm doing out there, just stop the puck."
Despite the 29-year-old playing in the AHL until late December, his 31 NHL games played so far are the most since his 50 with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24.
Ingram said being able to play consistently and at a high volume has helped him get back into a groove in net.
"It's easier for me," Ingram said. "The more you play, the easier it gets. I've played 50 in this league before. This isn't new to me. This is what you want, right? You want to be in there, you want to be in the mix, so that's exactly as a goalie what you want."
Watch Avry Lewis-McDougall's video column above for more.
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