Mike Babcock is handing Tristan Jarry the Edmonton Oilers' season opener against Vancouver, and he framed it as a reward.
Babcock told reporters Tuesday that the start is for all the off-season work and for the way his goalie played in the preseason.
The regular-season track record points the other way. In 19 games after arriving from Pittsburgh last season, Jarry posted an .857 save percentage.
He carried a 3.86 goals-against average over that stretch, which isn't usually the kind of number that earns a banner night.
His lone playoff appearance for the Oilers went badly, with four goals allowed on eight shots in a loss.
Does one good September erase all that? On paper, this is the wrong call, and Babcock is betting the paper is outdated.
It's handing the car keys back to the teenager because he aced driver's ed over the summer, never mind what happened to the bumper last spring.
1. Edmonton and Vancouver announce goalies for opening night
Forward Jason Dickinson won't play, as he continues to rehab a foot injury he re-aggravated in training camp.
He isn't the only one out. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got hurt in practice and faces an approximate two-week timeline.
That leaves Babcock patching the lineup in his first regular-season game since the Oilers hired him in June.
At the other end, Kevin Lankinen is expected to start for Manny Malhotra, another coach who took over a bench this summer.
The Oilers swept their exhibition slate at 4-0-0, finishing with a 4-1 win over Calgary last Saturday.
The Canucks went 1-3-0 in the preseason but closed with a 4-3 win over Seattle that same Saturday.
In front of Jarry, the Oilers pay Connor McDavid $12,500,000 and Leon Draisaitl $14,000,000. Both of them need the other end of the ice to hold.
The rematch comes in Vancouver on October 1, with Seattle visiting Edmonton after that.
The first period will tell Edmonton plenty about which Jarry showed up. A shaky one, and the crease becomes the loudest conversation in the city before that rematch even arrives.
Source : Oilers' Jarry to start season opener vs. Canucks, Dickinson won't play
Did Mike Babcock make the right call starting Tristan Jarry in the opener?
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