EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers salvaged a point in overtime against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night after what was described as a "ridiculous" effort, but shaky goaltending again dominated the storyline. Tristan Jarry allowed six goals in his season debut, the 10th time in his last 12 games as an Oiler that he has allowed four or more, continuing a disappointing stretch from the 2025-26 season despite making key saves early and in overtime.
Asked directly about Jarry's performance, Babcock was blunt. "Well, I mean, obviously that was pretty clear. Everyone knows that, so we might as well move on," he said, adding, "Our part is to play way better… If we want to play like that, we're going to be chasing the game." Broadcaster Jason Gregor said it would be misleading to call this just one game, adding, "At some point your goalie's gotta stop some pucks." Fans greeted Jarry with a Bronx cheer in Game 1.
Jarry lost the starting job last season and already looks headed in the same direction in 2026-27. The recurring issue has followed Edmonton since Connor McDavid joined the franchise, with goaltending described as the team's Achilles' heel. GM Stan Bowman — and others before him — has tried making big moves at every other position while continuing to shop in the goalie bargain bin without paying bargain prices, leaving fans frustrated by the same old song and dance.
The rough opener has Edmonton weighing options. Frederik Andersen's December debut is light years away, and Devon Levi remains an unknown. Levi allowed seven goals on 22 shots in his Oilers debut, but bounced back nicely against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, allowing one goal on 20 shots. Still, the team may have to look outside the organization, with Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck at the center of speculation and questions about whether the Oilers could make a play for him and whether Hellebuyck would soften his stance enough to make a deal possible.
Edmonton has the offensive firepower to compete for a championship and has proven as much time and time again, and the defense can shut teams down when it is on. Goaltending remains the recurring weak spot that is increasingly hard to ignore, with the risk that inconsistent play between the pipes is undermining a contention window the team has spent years building. For now the Oilers insist the fix starts with their own play in front of Jarry, but after one game and a long stretch of similar results, putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound isn't working.