First Call: Mike Sullivan discusses Tristan Jarry; Zach Frazier thinks he'll 'be ready' after bye

Thursday’s “First Call” features a message from Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to struggling goalie Tristan Jarry. Zach Frazier and Nick Herbig discuss their health. Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith tells the story of how the team decided to bring back Corliss Waitman.

And there were some Pirates ties to the final game of the World Series.

Keeping the faith

The Penguins are continuing to work with Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic in goal. That’s because Tristan Jarry is on a conditioning assignment in Wilkes-Barre in hopes of getting his game right.

Speaking on Wednesday night’s coach’s show, head coach Mike Sullivan insisted the team hasn’t given up on Jarry despite his issues last year and his rough start this season.

“I know the quality of goaltender that he is and what he’s capable of. He made the All-Star team twice. That doesn’t just happen by coincidence,” Sullivan said on 105.9 The X. “It takes a certain performance for a long period of time in order for that to happen. My message to him is that we believe in him, and we’re trying to provide a path for him to capture his very best game again.”

Jarry was 1-1 in three NHL appearances this season. He allowed 12 goals on 73 shots for a save percentage of .836 and a goals-against average of 5.47.

The Penguins’ team goals-against average of 4.27 is the worst in the NHL so far. The Pens have allowed 389 shots against, the most in hockey.

Jarry has won his two games so far in Wilkes-Barre, stopping 59 of 64 shots.

Zach coming back?

Zach Frazier characterized himself as “optimistic” about returning to action following the bye this weekend.

“That’s what I’m shooting for,” Frazier said Wednesday when I asked him about the prospect of suiting up against the Washington Commanders on Nov. 10.

The Steelers rookie center hasn’t played since suffering an injured ankle in Las Vegas during a Week 6 win over the Raiders.

“I’m going to stay back this week and rehab (in Pittsburgh) and try to get back for Washington. That is the goal,” Frazier continued. “I’m getting better every day. Sticking with the rehab and trusting it… I think I’ll be ready.”

Frazier says that he is “walking fine.” Now, he says the next step is being able to run at full speed. While he has been out, the Steelers have used Ryan McCollum at center.

“I think he is doing great. He has really stepped up,” Frazier said of McCollum. “He has faced two really good D-Lines, and I think he has played really well.”

During McCollum’s two starts at center, the Steelers have managed to rush for 149 yards against the New York Jets and 167 yards against the New York Giants.

Injured outside linebacker Nick Herbig also said he is optimistic about a potential return to action versus Washington. He’s missed three games in a row due to a hamstring injury.

Holding on

One of the unsung heroes of the Steelers’ 6-2 start is punter Corliss Waitman. He was signed as a free agent after Cameron Johnston was lost for the year thanks to a knee injury in Week 1.

Waitman has been excellent. The team is tied for eighth-best in the NFL when it comes to dropping punts inside the 20-yard line, with 15 of them. They are tied for fifth with 11 fair catches forced.

In terms of starting field position, the Steelers entered Monday night’s game against the New York Giants, averaging a defensive drive start of the 26.2-yard line. That’s second-best in the NFL, and Waitman’s punting has a lot to do with that.

While speaking with reporters Wednesday, Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith said it was actually Waitman’s holding skills that won him the job during a competition of available punters to replace Johnston.

Smith said that because the Steelers had Waitman as a practice squad player before, they knew he could hold for kicker Chris Boswell.

“There’s a familiarity. With the kicker that we have, the holding is very important,” Smith said. “We know how to develop a holder, and we had developed him before. He was comfortable with that, and that is how he got invited back. He is a real pro, and he won that competition when we had all those punters in. He is punting good.”

Whatever Waitman is doing holding the ball, it’s working. Boswell is 39-40 on placekicks this year.

Pirates ties

The World Series is over, and the Dodgers have won 4-1. They beat the New Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 Wednesday night. There was a former Pirates flavor on the mound.

Ex-Bucco All-Star Gerrit Cole started for the Yankees. He was relieved by Clay Holmes, and former Pirates draft choice Walker Buehler closed out the game for the Dodgers.

Cole got a no-decision. The Yankees blew a 5-0 lead thanks to three bad plays in the fifth. Aaron Judge dropped a fly ball. Anthony Volpe made a throwing error. Then Cole had a miscommunication with Anthony Rizzo at first base, allowing Mookie Betts to reach on an infield single.

Gerrit Cole had a 5-0 lead. He ended the 5th inning allowing the #Dodgers to TIE it.
But it wasn't his fault.

-Aaron Judge committed his FIRST ERROR of 2024
-Volpe with a throwing error
-Cole and Rizzo couldn’t communicate

Gerrit Cole: 5 runs. ZERO earned. #Worldseries pic.twitter.com/pXHI4cTajv

— Coach AZ (@CoachAZ_) October 31, 2024

Gavin Lux and Betts both hit sacrifice flies to give the Dodgers a 7-6 advantage in the top of the eighth. Then Buehler got the save.

THE DODGERS ARE THE 2024 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! ???? pic.twitter.com/kVtjJjltRb

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 31, 2024

Cole ended up pitching 6 ⅔ innings. He gave up five runs. None of them were earned.