Tristan Jarry Changes Tune After Oilers’ 4–3 Loss to Flames

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry owned his performance following another tough loss, this time a 4-3 defeat to the rival Calgary Flames on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. It was the final Oilers game before the Olympic break, and Edmonton now heads into it with a lot to think about, most of it negative. After winning three in a row a week ago, this loss was their third straight, and understandably, no one is terribly happy about how things are trending.

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Jarry, who made 21 saves in the contest, faced questions about his play and the team’s struggles. Unlike his last postgame scrum where he essentially called out his teammates for giving up too many Grade A chances, in his postgame comments on Wednesday, he pointed the finger squarely at himself.

“It starts with me. I can be more accountable,” Jarry said. “If I play better and stand in there strong for these guys, we’ll have some better outcomes. It starts with me and I have to be better moving forward.”

When it was pointed out that the whole team was trying to find their game, Jarry — who likely realized how his previous interview had come off — kept shifting the focus back to himself. “Moving forward, I just have to stand in there better.”

The Oilers battled back with power-play goals from Leon Draisaitl (two) and other contributions, but Calgary capitalized on special teams and even-strength chances, including a tiebreaking tally from Ryan Lomberg in the third period.

Jarry acknowledged that the Oilers were doing what they could, especially the big guns, calling them “a really good team” with “great players” and “generational players.” He said they can be “fun to watch”, but hinted it takes more than scoring to win, which is where he comes in.

The Oilers Seem To Need This Olympic Break

When asked how important the break would be for the team, Jarry acknowledged it was critical. “We have to use the break… we’ll be able to get some good practices, some rest, a little bit of a reset.” With most of the team available, he believes the time will allow focus on areas they need to improve, but have had trouble getting a handle on because of the condensed schedule.

Edmonton will be back on the ice and working at finding solutions on February 17th.

The comments are a breath of fresh air for fans who were shocked by Jarry’s previous interview and willingness to shift focus to other members of the team before looking in the mirror. It was obvious in his previous start that he wasn’t very good, and this time around, his ability to reflect on himself is important. Edmonton’s defensive inconsistencies this season are apparent. So, it’s like Jarry was wrong to say things needed improvement. The timing of his comments was what caught most people off guard. He could have been better against the Flames as well, and he didn’t hide from it.

As Edmonton (28-22-8) heads into the Olympic hiatus, Jarry’s accountability sets a tone for improvement upon return.

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