Oilers’ Jarry out until at least mid-January with lower-body injury

The Edmonton Oilers will have to go at least two more weeks without their new starting goaltender, as head coach Kris Knoblauch told Oilers TV host and reporter Tony Brar that Jarry would return around mid-January “but not before that.”

Jarry has not appeared in a game since December 18, where he earned a win as the Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1 despite exiting with the injury in the second period.

Earlier in December, Edmonton swung a major trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins to bring Jarry in to be their new number one, sending goalie Stuart Skinner the other way along with defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.

In Jarry’s absence, the Oilers have paired backup Calvin Pickard with Connor Ingram, who had a tough outing in a 6-2 loss to Boston on New Year’s Eve.

Combining his stints in both Pittsburgh and Edmonton, Jarry has been good for a save percentage of .906 and a goals against average of 2.73 to go with his 12-3-1 record. Jarry was drafted by Pittsburgh 2013 and had spent his entire career there prior to the deal.

The veteran goalie is in the third season of a five-year deal in which he makes an average annual value of $5.375 million.

After a slow start to the season and coming off of two consecutive defeats in the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers have reached first place in the Pacific Division with a record of 20-15-6, though Vegas is in first place by points percentage, as the Golden Knights have gone 17-10-11.

Edmonton is 6-4-0 in its past 10 contests, as an unbelievable month of December from captain Connor McDavid powered them to their best stretch of the year. The Oilers will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers.