Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry remains sidelined

Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith is slated to start his seventh consecutive game when his team faces the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center in San Jose on Tuesday.

That is the longest streak of consecutive starts for any Penguins goaltender this season. Tristan Jarry, currently sidelined because of an undisclosed injury, has the second-longest streak of starts with five games between Nov. 29 and Dec. 9.

Jarry, who has missed 13 of the previous 15 games with various injuries, remains sidelined on a “day-to-day” basis.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan professed optimism Jarry will be back in the lineup in the coming days while speaking with media who traveled to San Jose on Tuesday.

“(Jarry) is getting real close,” Sullivan said. “He had a real good practice (Monday). When our medical team deems him ready to play, that’s when the decision will be made. That hasn’t been the case to this point.

“He’s getting a lot closer. He had his most productive practice yesterday. He’s getting close, and that’s encouraging.”

Jarry’s durability has become a subject of curiosity, at least externally. He missed the final six games of the 2021-22 regular season and the first six games of the subsequent postseason because of a broken right foot.

Internally? Sullivan suggested management has full faith in Jarry’s well-being.

“He’s perfectly capable of being durable,” Sullivan said on Monday. “He’s had some unfortunate breaks in this first part of the season. But his history with the Penguins, he’s been very durable. I don’t have any doubt that when he gets over the hump here, he’ll be fine.”

During his most recent media availability Feb. 5, general manager Ron Hextall said nothing about Jarry’s health when directly asked a question about it.

Jarry is designated to injured reserve, retroactive to Jan. 22, though his injury initially was believed to have occurred following a morning skate Jan. 24.

Either way, the team’s recent bye week and the NHL’s break for the All-Star Game event on Feb. 3 and 4 provided him ample time to rest and recover.

“Obviously, having the (break) at that time was very helpful for me,” Jarry said Thursday in Anaheim. “I was able to get some good training in, some good rehab. That will make me stronger. Hopefully, I’ll be back quicker (because of) that.

“It’s tough when you’re injured, and it’s tough to be away from the team. It’s a nice step in the right direction when I’m out there with them.”

Marleau left impression

Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review

The Penguins acquired forward Patrick Marleau in a trade with the San Jose Sharks in February of 2020.

On Tuesday, the Sharks kicked off a 12-day celebration of former forward Patrick Marleau, who, by most measures, is the greatest player in the history of that franchise. This event lead to his No. 12 being retired Feb. 25.

Toward the end of his career, Marleau was traded to the Penguins in February of 2020 for a cup of coffee and an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career, which is worthy of enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Despite his limited time and success in Pittsburgh, he was a popular member of the Penguins.

“He made a huge impression on the coaching staff and on our team,” Sullivan said. “Just a terrific person, an unbelievable teammate. He was a big part of the team when he was with us in the short time that we had him. … He has a quiet presence, but it’s powerful. I know all of our players had just so much respect for his body of work in this league and the legacy that he’s left. He was a tremendous San Jose Shark for a long time. … We were fortunate to have him in the short amount of time that we had him. We were hopeful that we were going to help him earn a Stanley Cup (title). … We weren’t able to do that but certainly, he made a huge impact on our organization.”

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