Old Crease, New Colors: Jarry Takes the First Round

Some hockey storylines feel scripted, even when they’re not. This one was almost too perfect. Just days after being traded for each other, Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner found themselves staring down familiar jerseys from opposite creases. By the end of a wide-open night at PPG Paints Arena, Jarry and the Edmonton Oilers skated away with a 6–4 win, while Skinner’s Penguins debut came with a tough lesson against an offense he knows all too well.

It wasn’t a quiet goaltending duel. It was messy, fast, emotional hockey—the kind of game that pulls fans in and keeps them there until the final seconds.

Oilers: Let the Offense Work, Just Hold the Line

For Edmonton, the formula was pretty clear. Score, keep pushing, and ask their new goalie to be steady rather than spectacular. Tristan Jarry did exactly that. Returning to Pittsburgh, where he spent the first decade of his career, could’ve rattled anyone. Instead, Jarry looked composed enough to let the Oilers’ firepower take over. Edmonton generated chances in waves, capitalizing on breakdowns and special-teams opportunities while forcing Pittsburgh to defend at a relentless pace.

The Oilers built leads, saw them challenged, then rebuilt them again—the mark of a team that trusts its game. When Edmonton needed a save to stop momentum from completely flipping, Jarry delivered just enough. Sometimes, that’s all a contender really needs.

For Oilers fans, it felt like a reassuring start: the offense still drives the bus, but the crease didn’t wobble when things got loud.

Penguins: A Tough Welcome, but Not a Quiet One

Stuart Skinner didn’t get the luxury of easing into life in Pittsburgh. His first game in black and gold came against the team he just left, and that familiarity cuts both ways. He knew what was coming—and so did the Oilers. Edmonton pressured early and often, forcing quick decisions and challenging Pittsburgh’s defensive structure. The scoreboard reflected that, but it didn’t tell the whole story. The Penguins didn’t fold. They pushed back, created offense of their own, and stayed within striking distance well into the third period.

For Skinner, the debut was about survival as much as success. New system, new teammates, new expectations—all under the spotlight of a charged reunion game. Not an easy way to start, but a revealing one.

Round 1: Oilers Take It

Goalies traded for each other almost never meet this fast, and they rarely do it with this much emotion attached. Round 1 went to Jarry and Edmonton, no doubt about it. But this felt less like an ending and more like the opening scene. For both teams—and both fanbases—the story is only getting started.