Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry scores goal in comeback win against Lightning

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry made history Thursday when he became the first netminder to score a goal for the franchise during a 4-2 road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

The goal came at 18 minutes, 52 seconds of the third period after the Lightning pulled goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker.

“It was pretty lucky,” Jarry said to the Associated Press in Tampa. “It’s pretty neat, honestly. It’s something that doesn’t happen very often. There’s very few that have done it, so it’s definitely pretty cool. But honestly the win means more.”

Stopping 39 of 41 shots, Jarry’s record rose to 8-8-1.

Jarry’s goal secured victory late in regulation.

From his own blue line, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman misfired on a stretch pass intended for forward Anthony Cirelli and the puck slid to the right of the Penguins’ cage. Jarry corralled the puck, surveyed the scene and lofted the puck. Landing just above the hashmarks in the Lightning’s zone, the puck skidded into the vacant cage. There were no assists.

Jarry previously scored a goal at the American Hockey League level with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Nov. 14, 2018. During a 5-1 road win against the Springfield Thunderbirds, Jarry scored his team’s fourth goal of the contest.

This marked the 17th occasion in NHL history that a goaltender scored a goal. In total, 14 different goaltenders have accomplished the feat. Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils scored three times during his career while former Penguins general manager Ron Hextall scored twice during his playing days with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Before Thursday, the most recent goaltender to score in the NHL was Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins who found the net during a 3-1 road win against the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 25.

Earlier this season, Penguins backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic scored a goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while on a conditioning assignment with the AHL club. Nedeljovic’s goal came during a 4-2 road win against the Providence Bruins on Nov. 17.

Thursday’s victory required a comeback as the Penguins yielded a two-goal lead but found a way to score the final four goals of the contest. With the win, the Penguins claimed three of a possible four points during a brief two-game road trip that included a 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Lightning forward Steven Stamkos struck first with his 10th goal of the season 9:06 into regulation. Off a strong offensive zone shift by his teammates, Hedman corralled a loose puck above the left circle and wired a shot toward the cage. Establishing superior position against Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea on the lower edge of the left circle, Stamkos re-directed the puck over Jarry’s blocker on the near side. Hedman and forward Nikita Kucherov had assists.

The hosts took a two-score lead at 12:33 of the first period when forward Tanner Jeannot found his fifth goal during a power-play sequence.

Settling a loose puck on the right half wall of the offensive zone, Kucherov snapped a backhanded pass to the high slot for Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Deking slightly against Penguins forward Lars Eller to open up a shooting lane, Sergachev fired a wrister on net. After the puck clunked off of Jarry’s glove, the rebound trickled loose above the crease where Jeannot, largely unimpeded by anyone in a white Penguins jersey, jabbed a backhander under Jarry’s right leg. Sergachev and Kucherov claimed assists.

Penguins forward Sidney Crosby got his team on the scoreboard at 8:52 of the second period via his 14th goal.

After a failed handoff of the puck at the right point of the Penguins’ zone between Kucherov and Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel claimed possession and backhanded a pass to the neutral zone, springing Crosby on a partial breakaway. Entering the Lightning’s zone on the left wing, Crosby lifted a wrister from the left circle which Vasilevskiy’s right shoulder on the near side. The lone assist went to Guentzel.

The Penguins tied the game 2-2 late in the second frame when forward Drew O’Connor scored his second goal at the 19:23 mark.

Following another offensive zone turnover by Perbix, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang banked the loose puck off the boards in front of the home penalty box, allowing forward Evgeni Malkin to gain entry into the Lightning’s zone on the right wing. With Hedman defending a two-on-one rush, Malkin allowed O’Connor to catch up on the sequence and fed a pass from the right circle to the left of the crease, where O’Connor tapped in a forehand shot by Vasilevskiy’s right skate. Malkin and Letang tallied assists.

An unlikely source supplied the Penguins with their first lead of the contest when Jeff Carter scored his first goal 2:49 into third period.

Settling a puck in his own zone above the right circle, Pettersson fed a pass to the far blue line for Carter, who gained the offensive zone on the right wing. From the near circle, Carter dished a pass above the left circle for linemate Matt Nieto who one-touched it back to Carter. Despite sound positioning by Lightning defenseman Calvin de Haan, Carter was able to shuffle a forehand shot through de Haan’s skates and under Vasilevksiy’s right leg. Nieto and Pettersson had assists.

Carter’s last goal came during a 4-1 home win against the Minnesota Wild on April 6.

“It felt good,” Carter said to the AP. “It’s been a while.”

Notes:

• Jarry became the 563rd player in franchise history to score a goal.

• Jarry is third all-time in points among Penguins goaltenders with 11 (one goal, 10 assists). Only Tom Barrasso (31 assists) and Marc-Andre Fleury (14 assists) have more.

• The Penguins won their fifth consecutive game against the Lightning. The only longer winning streak they have against any one opponent is a 10-game stretch against the Arizona Coyotes.

• The Penguins’ most recent loss to the Lightning was a 5-1 defeat at PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 26, 2021.

• Pettersson (98 points) surpassed forward Conor Sheary (97) for 95th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• O’Connor appeared in his 100th career game.

• Penguins forward Vinnie Hinostroza and defenseman Dmitry Samorukov were healthy scratches.

• This was the 2,000th regular season win in franchise history. All-time the Penguins have a record of 2,000-1,800-557 (including 383 ties).

• Sheary, currently designated to the Lightning’s injured reserve list, missed his 11th consecutive game due to an undisclosed ailment.