Tristan Jarry came in for Connor Ingram after Ingram was knocked down by Nathan MacKinnon while cutting across the crease on Tuesday night. Ingram left the game with a cut and did not return due to concussion protocols, and Jarry delivered an excellent performance in relief.

It was the kind of performance Jarry arguably needed, given that his most recent starts have been anything but stellar. There was speculation that the Edmonton Oilers were even considering a possible Jarry deadline trade, assuming they could pull it off. 

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The Oilers are counting on Jarry. His teammates admitted as much after the win over Colorado, where the netminder made key saves. “We need him,” said forward Zach Hyman. “We need him to get back to the level that he’s capable of playing at, because he’s a difference maker.”

Oilers Now host and team radio color analyst, Bob Stauffer, argued last week, "You have to eventually get [Tristan Jarry] going. You make that trade under the belief that he has a higher ceiling than Stuart Skinner, and we haven't seen that come to fruition in Edmonton." Maybe Tuesday was a pivot in the right direction. 

“He should feel very good about this," noted head coach Kris Knoblauch. "He gets in there with 30 seconds left in the second period, and he’s tested two times. Then in the third period, he made some big saves, a couple on Colorado’s power play." He added, "Yes, he should feel very good about this, and we’re going to definitely need him right away. Once, if not twice, going into this back-to-back at Dallas and St. Louis.”

Jarry said it's tough to see someone go down, but you have to be prepared and mentally strong in a moment like that. "I thought the guys did a great job defending. They really kept the middle tight and were blocking shots."

He added that the Oilers were in a good spot when he entered the game, and it was his job to make sure it stayed that way. "They're obviously a very good team, but so are we," he noted. "I think everyone stepped up tonight."

Perhaps no one faced more pressure than Jarry, a goaltender under intense scrutiny since returning from an injury. Reports circulated that he was repeatedly “getting lit up” during practice drills, fueling frustration in the locker room. Those reports eventually gave rise to rumors—now widely considered overblown—that Jarry was out of sync with the team’s core.

Playing in Edmonton is challenging under any circumstances, but doing so while the team struggles to meet the high standards of past seasons is an even bigger test. Through it all, Jarry has shouldered much of the criticism, and Tuesday night was a strong showing of resilience.

The Oilers can only hope it's a sign he's turning things around. 

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