Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 350 words or less
Oh boy. Things seem to be deteriorating for Tristan Jarry in Edmonton. Did you see his comments after getting pulled from a 7-3 loss to Minnesota on Saturday?
Whether you’re a goalie, a quarterback or a pitcher — in other words, the most important guy out there — the last thing you want to do is insinuate it wasn’t your fault. Especially when you’re new in town.
Jarry insinuated it wasn’t his fault.
This is what he told reporters after his latest brutal performance since coming from Pittsburgh, one in which he allowed three “questionable” goals (sportsnet.ca’s euphemism):
“It’s tough. The chances we’re giving up, some of the shots, they’re tough. It’s a lot of Grade A’s, a lot of breakdowns.”
Put that through the what-he-should-have-said translator, and it comes out like this: “I was terrible. They brought me here to win games. I have to be better.”
Jarry was allergic to big games here. The difference now is he’s in a Cup-or-bust situation. That creates a new kind of pressure.
His comments didn’t get any better as he spoke.
“We want to play fast … we want to play in their end,” Jarry said. “When we’re taking some of those chances, they come back at us, and it’s tough. We just have to make sure we’re managing the puck a little bit better.”
Wow. I can’t imagine those quotes going over well in Oilers country. Not with Jarry’s numbers attached to them. He has an .836 save percentage in his past five games and .873 overall. Over a full season that wouldn’t be top-50 in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner — the goalie in return — is becoming a fan favorite here. He went 7-1 with a .910 save percentage in January.
Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas looks like a winner by knockout, at least so far. He picked the perfect time to trade Jarry. He also got Brett Kulak, who’s been helpful, and a second-round pick. The Oilers got Sam “Throw In” Poulin.
Dubas deserves jail time for that kind of robbery.
