Tristan Jarry, Penguins record second straight shutout against Coyotes
The Penguins welcomed Phil Kessel, now of the Arizona Coyotes, back to Pittsburgh on Friday at PPG Paints Arena.
During the first television stoppage of play of the first period, an elaborate presentation was displayed on the video board that highlighted Kessel’s contributions to the team’s success as a Stanley Cup champion in 2016 and ‘17.
Even Kessel’s idiosyncrasies, such as his seemingly perpetual dour mien or his occasionally irascible outbursts on the bench, were warmly recognized by a roaring and prolonged standing ovation.
On the bench, Kessel fought a losing battle in trying to stifle a broad smile.
It was a fitting way to honor a vital member of those championship squads upon his return.
It might be fair to wonder when another indispensable component of that success, Matt Murray, will return to the ice for the Penguins.
Backup goaltender Tristan Jarry made 33 saves for the Penguins in a 2-0 victory for his second consecutive shutout. On Wednesday, Jarry made 28 stops to blank the St. Louis Blues, 2-0.
With a road game against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena, will the Penguins stick with a tuned-in Jarry or go with the struggling Murray?
Over his past six games, Jarry had a 5-1-0 record, 1.67 goals-against average, .946 save percentage and two shutouts.
Murray’s numbers over his past six games are … contradistinctive. Over that span, his record is 0-3-2 with a 3.99 goals-against average and .852 save percentage.
Coach Mike Sullivan didn’t shed any light on who will start Saturday but did acknowledge Jarry’s success has forced management to consider taking a different approach to how the workload is divided between the goaltenders.
“For sure,” Sullivan said. “He’s played extremely well. We’re trying to make decisions to win games in the short run but also trying to have the big picture in mind. (Jarry’s) last handful of starts, we feel as though he’s been really good. He’s deserving of some of the starts that we’ve given him, and that’s why we chose to go with him (Friday).”
During Friday’s game, the Penguins and Coyotes got into a bit of a staring contest and held each other scoreless until midway through the third period when Evgeni Malkin scored off a rebound from a blocked shot. He jabbed a puck under the right leg of Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta at the 7-minute, 13-second mark.
Just over five minutes later, Jarry came through with a vital save off a rebound.
Working on a power play, Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson chopped a one-timer from center point that Jarry kicked out to the right of the crease. Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was sitting there and lifted the rebound on a wide-open net. Jarry’s reflexes sprung him to his left, and his left skate kicked the puck into the netting behind his crease.
“The puck was coming towards me,” Jarry said. “There was nothing I could really do on the second one but just try to sprawl out, and luckily, it hit me in the foot. It’s just reaction.”
An empty-netter by Brandon Tanev with 1.4 seconds remaining in regulation secured the victory.
Despite his recent string of high-caliber play, Jarry isn’t assuming he has a regular spot in the lineup secured. Having served a four-year apprenticeship in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Jarry is fully aware a full-time gig in the NHL is never guaranteed.
“It’s not something that I’m expecting,” Jarry said. “I’m just making sure I’m trying to do the best I can in practice.
“If I’m called upon, I try to be ready for it.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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