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Jarry’s rough stretch leaves Oilers with goaltending questions once again

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The dressing room, team confidence, a need for someone fresh in goal… They all added up to a pricey trade that — right from the start — seemed more a lateral move than a significant or obvious upgrade.

This morning, as Tristan Jarry stumbles towards the Olympic break, pulled on Saturday for the first time as an Oiler after allowing three questionable goals in a 7-3 loss to Minnesota, the Oilers would gladly take “lateral move” when folks are evaluating this goaltending transaction.

Thus far, it has not been anything close to lateral.

After a horrid performance against the Wild, however, Jarry more than hinted that his troubles were due to leaky team defence in front of him.

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“It’s tough,” he began. “The chances we are giving up, some of the shots, they’re tough. It’s a lot of Grade A’s, a lot of breakdowns. So I think it’s tough (for him) to really think about your game at this point. It’s a whole team game.”

In the crucial second period around which this game turned, Edmonton outshot Minnesota 17-7 but was outscored 3-0. The high-danger chances in Period 2, according to Natural Stat Trick, were 5-4 for Edmonton, but we’re not sure any of the three goals allowed by Jarry came on particularly dangerous chances.

Mats Zuccarello scored right off a draw, one-timing a puck that came to him when Mike Hartman won the faceoff. There was no screen, Zuccarello was standing still as he shot it, and frankly, Jarry did not appear to be ready for the shot.

Then Jarry surrendered a goofy one by Quinn Hughes, whose shot hit a leg and deflected off the end boards right back to Hughes. The former Canuck stuffed the rebound underneath of Jarry, who once again was slow to react to what was not a Grade A chance.

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Then Vladimir Tarasenko rifled one far side off the post and in off the rush — from not a great angle. We’ll chalk that up to a premier NHL shooter scoring a premier NHL goal — those will happen.

“It’s not terrible,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said of the Tarasenko goal. “You’d like to have a save there, but it’s not one that you’re thinking, ‘That was awful.’”

What a resounding review that was.

Skinner, in 12 starts as a Pittsburgh Penguin, has a save percentage of .895 and a goals-against average of 2.53. Jarry’s time in Edmonton has produced an .873 save percentage and a 3.59 goals against.

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And all those Stu Skinner haters in Edmonton? You could hear a collective “Gulp!” all the way to Fort MacMurray when Knoblauch went to his reliever Saturday, as Jarry posted his worst performance as an Oiler.

“We were just on the wrong side of it tonight. There’s obviously a lot of goals that went in,” Jarry said. “Everyone knows when we play the game that we want to put on the ice, that will put us on the better side of things. But to be on that side, we just have to tighten up and eliminate some of the chances.

“We want to play fast, we want to play up, we want to play in their end. 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.”

Here are Jarry‘s save percentages in his last five games: .882, .739, .867, .902, and .750. Add them all up, and that’s an .836 save percentage in his past five.

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On Saturday, two good teams each gave roughly as good as they got. The only obvious difference in the game was in the crease, where Jesper Wallstedt stopped everything you would expect him to stop, plus a few more. Jarry made some exceptional saves — but allowed two pucks to get in that never should have.

That turned a 2-2 game at the first intermission into a 5-2 game after 40. The Wild aren’t San Jose — there would be no three-goal, third-period comeback on this night.

“We could get another save,” allowed Knoblauch, when asked about his goaltending. “The amount of chances (Edmonton gives up) isn’t that many. The quality of the chances is something that’s got to be addressed. It has to get better — more perimeter shots, less breakaways or two-on-ones, odd-man rushes, those kind of things that are leading to goals.”

So, the debate becomes: maybe it’s not the goalies at all. Perhaps a save percentage in the relatively high .800’s is all any goalie could ever have behind the kind of defensive structure the Oilers sport prior to the trade deadline.

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Edmonton sits ninth from the bottom in the NHL in goals allowed per game (3.25). It’s never been their strong suit, and they’ve never had — if one even exists — a goalie who can bring their defensive stats in line with the type of payoff team they’ve been for about five years now.

Maybe they should trade for Wallstedt, whom the Oilers chose not to draft when he was sitting there in 2021.

Or start the Pickard kid…

OIL SPILLS — Leon Draisaitl’s first-period goal was the 1,034th point of his career, which ties Mark Messier for fourth most points in franchise history. He missed a couple of shifts when he left the bench to have his right hand looked at after a collision, but returned to play a regular shift the rest of the game … Evan Bouchard recorded his 60th point of the year, which is tied with Zach Werenski for the most by a defenceman this season.

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Deontay Wilder storms out of interview over Tyson Fury questions: ‘I’m not gonna talk about him!’

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Deontay Wilder stormed out of an interview on Wednesday after taking issue with a line of questioning about Tyson Fury, one of his biggest rivals, ahead of a press conference with upcoming opponent Derek Chisora.

On 4 April, Wilder will box Chisora in a heavyweight main event at London’s O2 Arena, in what is expected to be Chisora’s final fight as a professional.

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At 42, Britain’s Chisora is a seasoned veteran, while former world champion Wilder is similarly experienced at 40. But while Chisora has been enjoying a resurgence recently, winning his last three bouts, Wilder is in must-win territory after going 2-4 in his last six contests.

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The American, seen as arguably the most-devastating puncher of his generation, was on a frightening run of unanswered victories until 2018, when he secured a controversial draw with Fury. In 2020, Fury stopped Wilder to take the WBC title from the “Bronze Bomber”, before replicating that result in a third clash in 2021. Since then, Wilder has stopped Robert Helenius and Tyrrell Anthony Herndon but lost to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.

But his past with Fury cropped up again this week, when Wilder accused the Briton of having cheated during their rivalry. This was put to Wilder before Wednesday’s press conference with Chisora, as the American was questioned by TalkSport host Simon Jordan.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” Wilder told Jordan, who replied. “No, you’re going to.”

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“We’re here about Derek Chisora,” Wilder pushed back. “We’re not gonna talk about him [Fury] at all. I’m not gonna talk about him at all. Understand that.”

“No, fair enough,” Jordan said, in a bid to cool an intensifying atmosphere, with Wilder responding: “Alright then, so let’s move on. It’s all about Derek Chisora, that’s it. I’m back, baby! You all understand that? 4 April, it’s going down at the O2, you better be there or you’ll be a square.”

Deontay Wilder (right) takes on Britain's Derek Chisora on April 4th (Getty Images)

Deontay Wilder (right) takes on Britain’s Derek Chisora on April 4th (Getty Images)

“I understand that, I understand that,” said Jordan. “Fabulous. The only reason I mentioned it is because it’s part of the shtick that goes with you, and I missed you the first time around, when you came in here three years ago – when you were in your pomp four years ago, doing ‘Bomb Squad!’ and all that sort of stuff.

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“And I have always wanted to have a conversation with you, because you’ve made observations about Fury. I have my views on Fury, and you’ve called him a cheat.”

“The biggest in boxing!” Wilder exclaimed, before making accusations against Fury, who is due to emerge from his fifth retirement when he boxes Arslanbek Makhmudov on 11 April. Fury has always denied any accusations against him.

“But it leads me to a conclusion,” Jordan followed up. “I want to put something to you about you, and Fury just happens to be the hook for it. You talked about being cheated in that fight, you talked about water being spiked.”

“Facts,” said Wilder, before Jordan added: “You talked about your [ring walk] outfit being too heavy for you.”

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Deontay Wilder accused Tyson Fury of cheating during their trilogy fights between 2018-2021 (Getty Images)

Deontay Wilder accused Tyson Fury of cheating during their trilogy fights between 2018-2021 (Getty Images)

“I didn’t say that,” Wilder claimed. Jordan went on: “You talked about a long count [by the referee in the first fight with Fury].”

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After Wilder said “facts” once more, Jordan continued: “It sounds to me, given the character you are, that’s a little bit flaky. You lost those fights, and those fights were lost, and you saying someone like Fury cheated you in those fights is kind of disappointing to me.”

“Because I know the truth!” shouted Wilder. “I have the facts. Understand that […] Because when the documentary and everything starts to come out, I’m gonna show everything.” Earlier in the week, Wilder had similarly referenced a documentary he is apparently working on.

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“I’m not a Fury fan,” Jordan said, as Wilder stood up from his chair and walked towards the host, with security holding back the boxer.

“I don’t give a f*** about that!” Wilder shouted. “I don’t give a f*** about it! I said we didn’t want to bring him up in the first place. It ain’t got s*** to do with him!”

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Wilder’s last fight was his stoppage of Herndon in the seventh round in June, while Chisora’s was his decision win over Otto Wallin in February 2025.

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Chisora vs Wilder will mark each man’s 50th fight as a professional.

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3 mistakes Tony Khan must avoid on this week’s AEW Dynamite

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Tony Khan will present tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from Las Vegas this week. The show will take place at the Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort, and fans have high expectations for it. AEW has announced a stacked lineup of stars for the show, including some big-time matches featuring top AEW names.

As of now, Tony Khan has announced four big showdowns for the event. Hangman Page will take on Mark Davis in a singles clash. Apart from that, Andrade and Kenny Omega will also square off in a big matchup. Moreover, MJF will take on Brody King in an AEW World Title Eliminator Match. Additionally, Jack Perry and Ricochet will also clash over the AEW National Title. There are several other top stars like Kris Statlander and Jon Moxley expected to appear on the show.

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In this article, let’s take a look at 3 mistakes Tony Khan must avoid on this week’s AEW Dynamite:

#3. A clear decision for the Andrade and Kenny Omega match

Andrade will face Kenny Omega tonight on AEW Dynamite. It is a much-anticipated showdown between the two stars following El Idolo’s attack on The Cleaner on Dynamite’s 6th Anniversary last year. However, both stars are brimming with momentum as of late in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Besides, Andrade and Omega are top contenders for the AEW World Championship.

Therefore, Tony Khan can create a solid storyline involving the two stars down the line. However, a defeat to any one of them could destroy their momentum. Hence, instead of giving this match a clear closure, there should be a screwed ending for this showdown. It would help Khan to keep this feud open without affecting anyone’s credibility and momentum in the company.

#2. No follow-up on Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford’s title quest

Last week, on AEW Dynamite, Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford came down the aisle to give a staredown to the AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander and the AEW World Women’s Tag Team Champions Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron. That moment alone shone a massive spotlight on Bayne and Ford, sparking interest from a lot of fans in their work down the line.

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However, if Tony Khan did not give any follow-up to that intense staredown, it would make last week’s segment meaningless. Instead, the AEW President should book Bayne and Ford in some sort of confrontation with The Babes of Wrath and Kris Statlander. Besides, fans have been clamoring to see Megan chase the AEW Women’s World Title. Therefore, it sets up a golden opportunity for AEW to build Megan Bayne to the top.

#1. Another loss to Jack Perry on AEW Dynamite

Jack Perry will challenge the champion Ricochet for the AEW National Championship tonight on AEW Dynamite. It is a rematch between the two stars after their last title match on 31 December 2025, AEW Dynamite. Perry made his return to AEW last year following a prolonged hiatus. However, he has not achieved anything big since then in the company.

He has already faced a defeat against Ricochet on Dynamite, and another loss could heavily impact his credibility. Therefore, Tony Khan should crown Perry a new National Champion tonight. The Lightskin Kingpin has already managed to have a decent run with the title. The Scapegoat has the potential to heavily elevate the prestige of the championship down the line.