Skinner vs. Jarry: Which Goalie Fits the Oilers Game Better?

One thing that still gets lost when we talk about goaltending is that goalies are people before they’re systems. We love to reduce it to technique — angles, depth, rebound control — and all of that matters. But every now and then, you watch a couple of games close together, and you realize you’re not really watching mechanics at all. You’re watching temperament.

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Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner Are Different People; Does It Matter?

That’s where Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner start to separate for me. Jarry has always struck me as a goalie who feels the game. When he’s on, he’s really on. He’s aggressive, sharp, and almost impatient with shooters. There’s a confidence there that looks earned, not borrowed.

But when something goes sideways — a deflection, a soft one, a breakdown that ends up behind him — you can see it land. He doesn’t melt down, but he carries it. The next few shots matter more than they should.

You notice it in the little things. A half-second late getting set. That’s one thing I saw watching him against the Minnesota Wild before he was pulled last night. A glance after a whistle. Movements that look just a touch tighter than they did ten minutes earlier. It’s like he’s trying to solve the game while it’s still happening, and sometimes that makes it harder, not easier.

Skinner Is Another Kettle of Fish Altogether

Skinner feels like the opposite animal entirely. He gives up goals that would bother most goalies, and you know he cares. But he just doesn’t seem to show it. Not in a reckless way. More in a “that’s already gone” way. The body language barely shifts. The stance stays the same. He never looks angry or rattled at anyone but himself. He just waits for the next puck and tries harder to stop it.

In Edmonton, that’s not a small thing. That team has offence to burn, but it also gives up looks. They trade chances. Chaos is part of the deal. With the Oilers, that story is about as old as Wayne Gretzky and Grant Fuhr. Skinner seems built for that environment because he’s already accepted that bad things will happen and has decided not to negotiate with them emotionally.

That’s why Skinner fits the Oilers’ ethos so well — chaos, odd-man rushes, and high-event hockey don’t rattle him. Jarry? He’s wired differently, and that difference might matter more than we think.

Skinner Isn’t Better or Worse than Jarry; He’s Just Different

This isn’t about who’s better as a goalie. It’s about how they respond when the game stops being polite. Jarry looks like a goalie who needs things to make sense again. Skinner looks like one who’s fine if they never do.

And when the games start to matter more during the postseason, that’s also when the noise gets louder, and the margins get thinner. Suddenly, that difference isn’t theoretical anymore.

The Oilers Decided to Make a Huge Left Turn this Season

Now the Oilers are rolling with a completely different look in net. Skinner’s gone, Calvin Picard’s on waivers, and suddenly Jarry and Connor Ingram are the new bets. That’s a big swing — last season, Skinner and Picard had their struggles, but they still carried Edmonton further than most thought possible.

Now the Oilers are betting big on Jarry and Ingram, and it’s a gamble — not just on their skill, but on whether his ethos even fits the team.

Related: Tristan Jarry Calls on Oilers to Be Better in Front of Him