Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry injured during shutout win over Ducks

The last time goaltender Tristan Jarry and the Pittsburgh Penguins faced the Anaheim Ducks before Tuesday, Jarry didn’t mince words about the state of his play.

“We need some points,” Jarry said inside the home dressing room of PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 30. “Obviously, I need to be better. That’s the bottom line.

“I don’t think I’ve been giving the guys enough of a chance to win every night.”

Following his most recent encounter with the Ducks, his health is a more pressing concern than his performance.

During a 2-0 shutout of the Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Jarry left the contest at 18:24 of the second period due to a suspected head injury.

During a goalmouth scramble, Ducks forward Adam Henrique’s left hip struck the right side of Jarry’s head as Jarry made a save on Ducks forward Ryan Strome. As Jarry tumbled to the ice, he managed to make a subsequent save against Henrique on a rebound and play was halted.

Per videos posted on social media, Jarry, with assistance from athletic trainer Chris Stewart, made an immediate exit to the bench and the dressing room. An Associated Press photograph displayed a cut over Jarry’s right eye.

According to the team’s X account, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan did not provide a substantive update on Jarry’s status to reporters in Anaheim.

He was replaced by third-stringer Magnus Hellberg, who was recalled to the NHL roster on Oct. 25 when backup Alex Nedeljkovic landed on long-term injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment. Hellberg completed the contest, making 11 saves in his second NHL game with the club.

Nedeljkovic is not eligible to return to the active roster until Nov. 19. Should the team need to make another recall, 21-year-old prospect Joel Blomqvist would be the most likely candidate to be summoned from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Before his injury, Jarry looked far better than the goaltender who stopped only 23 off 27 shots in an unappetizing 4-3 loss to the Ducks at PPG Paints Arena eight days prior.

On Tuesday, Jarry stopped all 21 shots he faced before his premature departure. His record improved to 4-5-0.

Jarry and Hellberg orchestrated the fifth combined shutout in franchise history, the most recent being a 1-0 home win against the Montreal Canadiens on March 26, 2013. Marc-Andre Fleury (25 saves) and Tomas Vokoun (12 saves) collaborated on that shutout.

Penguins forward Radim Zohorna gave his team a lead 12:32 into regulation with his third goal of the season, a new career high.

Navigating his way around a few Ducks in the neutral zone as if he were Ferdinand Magellan, Zohorna dished the puck to the right wing for linemate Lars Eller, allowing him to gain the offensive blue line. Churning his way into the right circle, Eller gripped and ripped a wrister on net that was blocked by the left skate of Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler. The rebound tricked loose to the right of the cage, where Zohorna corralled it and shuffled a backhander to the blue paint that hit off the inside of goaltender John Gibson’s right leg and caromed into the net. Eller and defenseman Erik Karlsson had assists.

Forward Noel Acciari appeared to get his first goal of the season (and first as a member of the Penguins) on an empty net at 19:04 of the third period, but an automatic video review initiated by the NHL revealed the sequence to be offside.

Forward Sidney Crosby did capitalize on the empty net at the 19:40 mark for his sixth goal. Linemate Jake Guentzel and defenseman Kris Letang logged assists.

Gibson, a native of Whitehall, stopped 34 of 35 shots and his record fell to 2-4-0.

Notes:

• The Penguins have had five combined shutouts in franchise history:

That's the fifth combined shutout in Penguins franchise history. pic.twitter.com/jyYstU0SJZ

— PittsburghHockey.net (@PghHockey) November 8, 2023

• The Penguins’ have recorded three shutouts all-time against the Ducks. The most recent was a 1-0 home win on Dec. 11, 2021. Casey DeSmith made 33 saves in that triumph.

• Zohorna’s previous career-high for goals was established as a rookie in 2020-21 when he scored two in eight games. He matched that total with two goals in 17 games during the 2021-22 campaign.

• The Penguins’ scratches were defensemen P.O Joseph (healthy), John Ludvig (concussion) and forward Jeff Carter (healthy).

• Ducks forward Brock McGinn, acquired from the Penguins via trade on March 3, is on injured reserve due to an undisclosed ailment.