Penguins to start Tristan Jarry against Boston Bruins
BOSTON — The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected start goaltender Tristan Jarry for Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins in TD Garden according to coach Mike Sullivan.
In 23 games this season, Jarry has a 16-6-1 record with a 2.12 goals against average, a .930 save percentage and three shutouts.
Jarry has come a long way since his most previous start in Boston on Nov. 23, 2018. Last season, after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League as an injury replacement for incumbent starter Matt Murray, Jarry made 35 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Bruins. That was one of only two games Jarry played during the 2018-19 season.
Nearly 14 months later, Jarry is an NHL All-Star having been named to the NHL’s All-Star event later this month in St. Louis as an injury replacement for Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
“He’s played extremely well,” Sullivan said. “He’s made timely saves for us. He plays the puck really well, he helps us against heavy forecheck teams. He’s really just played a solid game for us in goal. He’s made big saves at key times that (have) helped us win games along the way here. It’s hard to win in the absence of that save. Tristan has provided that for us, as has (Murray).”
A second-round pick in 2013, Jarry did not open a season at the NHL level until this past October. Suffice it to say, his development was not rushed.
“(Goaltending coach) Mike Buckley has done a terrific job,” Sullivan said. “It takes an element of patience in giving players an opportunity to grow and develop at their own pace. Everybody is a little bit different so sometimes it takes some patience to allow players an opportunity to develop. Tristan has had some pretty good time spent in Wilkes-Barre. Last year, he had a pretty solid year for Wilkes-Barre. We’ve seen his maturity both on the ice and off the ice over the last couple of years. All the guys involved have done a great job but Tristan himself, you have to give him a lot of credit. He’s the guy that puts the work in, he’s the guy that goes on the ice that gets the job done. He’s done a terrific job wit his preparation. He’s done it since day one of training camp. His work ethic has translated into consistency of play.”
Notes:
• Murray will presumably start Friday’s road game against the Detroit Red Wings.
• Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson has 299 career points.
• The Bruins are expected to start goaltender Jaroslav Halak, a long-time nemisis of the Penguins, in net. Appearing in 21 games this season, Halak has a 10-5-6 record along with a 2.49 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and three shutouts.
• Bruins all-star goaltender Tuukka Rask was placed on injured reserve due to a concussion.
• The Bruins recalled goaltender Dan Valdar and forward Karson Kuhlman from Providence of the AHL.
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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