Oilers goaltending back under fire as Jarry stumbles and Levi waits in wings

The Edmonton Oilers’ long-running goaltending question flared up again on opening night. With Frederik Andersen still nursing a knee injury that will sideline him until at least December, Tristan Jarry got the start Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks and took a 6–5 overtime loss at Rogers Place.

General manager Stan Bowman tried to address the position in the off-season by signing Andersen to a one-year contract worth $1 million, with performance bonuses that could push the total to $2.8 million if he reached 20 games played. The move came with obvious risk: despite a strong playoff run last spring before being replaced in the final, the former Carolina Hurricanes netminder has a lengthy injury history and averaged only 26 games per season over his last four years in Raleigh.

Jarry’s rough form continues as Cotter ends Oilers’ comeback

With Andersen unavailable, the Oilers turned back to Jarry, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins last December in a deal that sent Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick the other way. Pittsburgh later moved Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche for another second-rounder, effectively doubling its draft return for a goalie it had decided to move on from.

Jarry’s finish to last season in Edmonton was already alarming: he posted a 3.86 goals-against average and an .858 save percentage, appeared in only three of the club’s final 16 regular-season games and started just once in the playoffs. Down the stretch, the Oilers leaned instead on Connor Ingram, who was only marginally better and has since retired at age 29.

Against Vancouver, a team that finished last overall a year ago and is widely expected to remain near the bottom, Jarry again failed to settle things. Edmonton’s offence delivered, as Evan Bouchard became the first defenceman since Mark Howe in 1980 to score a hat trick in a season opener and added two assists. The Oilers erased a three-goal third-period deficit, but newly acquired centre Paul Cotter — picked up by the Canucks in the summer after a nine-goal season with New Jersey — beat Jarry with a backhand move in overtime to seal the win.

“Tonight’s game showed us we have a lot of work to do,” head coach Mike Babcock said afterward, criticizing his players for losing focus after a strong start and calling the performance unacceptable. His arrival behind the bench has already sparked controversy, and the goaltending drama adds another layer of pressure.

Devon Levi emerges as fragile safety net in Edmonton net

Edmonton’s defence did allow some breakaways and odd-man rushes, and Bouchard’s offensive instincts still outpace his defensive reads. Even so, the Oilers surrendered only 23 shots. Jarry, whose $5.3‑million cap hit came over from Pittsburgh with no salary retained and runs for two more seasons, remains an expensive gamble for such uncertain results.

The Oilers get a quick chance to respond Thursday in Vancouver, and it is unclear whether Babcock will immediately go back to Jarry. The alternative is Quebec-born goaltender Devon Levi, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres over the summer in a deal that sent a 2028 third-round pick to Buffalo and brought a 2028 seventh-rounder back to Edmonton.

Levi, listed at 6-foot and 192 pounds, spent all of last season in the AHL with Rochester, posting a 23-20-9 record, a 2.83 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage — 29th in the league for GAA and 16th for save percentage. In the playoffs, he allowed eight goals on 99 shots over three games for a .919 save rate. His recent NHL résumé is thin: he has played only once in the league since December 2024 and surrendered 28 goals over his last seven appearances with Buffalo between October 2024 and January 2025.

Given Andersen’s health and Jarry’s form, Levi already looks like the Oilers’ last short-term hope to stabilize the crease. On the other side, veteran Brendan Gallagher’s Canucks debut was quiet, with 10:52 of ice time, one shot and one hit, while Arshdeep Bains — still trying to secure a full-time NHL role in his fifth pro season — was the only Vancouver skater used even less, by two seconds.