Penguins scheduled to start Tristan Jarry in net vs. Columbus

The Pittsburgh Penguins plan to start Tristan Jarry in net when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night.

Coach Mike Sullivan announced his starting netminder following the club’s morning skate in Cranberry.

Through 18 games this year, Jarry is 8-6-3 with a 3.47 goals-against average and .888 save percentage.

Jarry last started Jan. 3 vs. the Florida Panthers, making 31 saves on 33 shots in a 3-2 overtime defeat.

Tuesday’s puck drop pits the Penguins (17-17-7) against a Metropolitan Division foe with a near identical record which is also in the hunt for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

The Penguins sit fourth in the division with 41 points, while Columbus (17-17-6) is right behind in fifth (40 points).

“We understand where we’re at in the standings,” Sullivan said. “It’s not that we have it under the microscope every day, but we have a clear understanding of where we’re at. … Two points that you get in January are really important points. They’re valuable points at the end of March and early April. We’re looking at every opportunity we have and we’re trying to seize that moment.”

The Penguins utilized the following lines, defensive pairings and power-play groups Tuesday:

67 Rickard Rakell - 87 Sidney Crosby - 17 Bryan Rust

8 Michael Bunting - 71 Evgeni Malkin - 19 Cody Glass

10 Drew O’Connor - 13 Kevin Hayes - 18 Jesse Puljujarvi

55 Noel Acciari - 46 Blake Lizotte - 83 Matt Nieto

28 Marcus Pettersson - 58 Kris Letang

24 Matt Grzelcyk - 65 Erik Karlsson

38 Owen Pickering - 73 P.O Joseph

Ryan Graves and Ryan Shea skated as a reserve fourth defensive pairing.

First power play: Crosby, Rakell, Rust, Bunting, Grzelcyk

Second power play: O’Connor, Hayes, Malkin, Letang, Karlsson

Notes:

• Forward Phil Tomasino, currently out week-to-week with an unspecified injury, skated individually Tuesday morning for the first time since being sidelined Jan. 5. Through 16 games with the Penguins after being acquired from the Nashville Predators, Tomasino has contributed four goals and three assists while averaging 13 minutes, 36 seconds of nightly ice time.

• The Penguins are 21-4-3 over their last 28 games vs. the Blue Jackets dating back to February of 2017.

• Crosby enters Tuesday’s game with 15,179 career faceoff wins, four shy of overtaking longtime Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron (15,182) for most all-time in NHL history. Faceoffs have only been recorded as a stat by the NHL since 1997-98.

• The Penguins have won 15 consecutive home games against the Blue Jackets, a streak that dates back to Dec. 21, 2015. It is the longest such active streak in the NHL.

The Penguins’ franchise record for longest home winning streak is an 18-game stretch against the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise betwee March 24, 2007 and Jan. 4, 2019.

• The Blue Jackets are expected to start goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. In 26 games this season, Merzlikins has a 13-10-3 record, a 3.18 goals against average and an .888 save percentage.