Tim Benz: Tristan Jarry’s ‘key saves at key times’ turned a potential shootout into a Penguins rout
Share this post:
It’s not often a goaltender’s shutout gets lost in the mix during a hockey game. But given how the Penguins’ 7-0 romp over the New York Islanders took place Wednesday, you can see how Tristan Jarry’s name may have been buried a bit in the headlines.
• The Penguins managed to score six consecutive goals from the 6:44 mark through the 17:13 mark of the second period.
• Kris Letang became the first NHL defenseman in league history to record five points in a period.
• Letang also tied a franchise record for assists in a game with six. Ron Stackhouse, Greg Malone and Mario Lemieux (four times) also reached that plateau.
• Fellow defenseman Marcus Pettersson also had four assists.
• Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel both scored twice.
• Struggling winger Rickard Rakell scored just his second goal of the year and added an assist.
• Valtteri Puustinen scored his first career goal.
• All seven goals were at even strength.
• The Penguins managed to do all this without star center Sidney Crosby even picking up a point.
• Oh, yeah, Jarry pitched a 22-save shutout.
That doesn’t mean Jarry’s effort should be glossed over. While the Penguins were good about keeping the shot total low and staying out of the penalty box to avoid Islanders’ power plays (just two on the night), Jarry was still good when called upon, collecting his NHL-leading fourth shutout.
Four of Jarry’s 10 wins on the season are now in shutout fashion.
Tristan Jarry stopped all 22 shots he faced en route to his league-leading fourth @pepsi shutout of the season! ????♂️ pic.twitter.com/aFQxtfXjX7
— NHL (@NHL) December 28, 2023
“It’s awesome,” Jarry said of the team’s explosive second period. “It’s nice to be on this side of things. It’s nice to watch. It’s fun. Hopefully, we can do it again and continue the success.”
Jarry doesn’t have to go back far to recall being on the “other” side. His most recent start was a 7-0 loss in Toronto on Dec. 16. Jarry gave up the first four goals that night, and he hadn’t played since. Alex Nedeljkovic was between the pipes for the Penguins’ next three games as they picked up five points.
Related
• Defenseman Kris Letang has historic night as Penguins rout Islanders
• First Call: James Harrison, Hines Ward snubbed for Hall of Fame again; did Mason Rudolph jab Big Ben?
• U mad, bro? Readers want more rah, rah, rah for Steelers, their defense, Mike Tomlin
However, Jarry says he took a lot from that downtime, combined with the Christmas break.
“For my game, it helps when you’re able to get that practice time,” Jarry said via video posted to the team’s website. “You don’t get very much during the NHL season, with how many games that we play. So I think it’s good. Sometimes, you get that break, and it keeps you sharp.”
With all the offensive accolades to pass around, Jarry’s performance wasn’t lost on head coach Mike Sullivan.
“I thought he made some real big saves that helped us to be able to maintain momentum and build on the leads we had,” Sullivan said. “They had a couple of really good looks on their power play. I thought he made some big saves there. He just made some key saves at key times, and I think that’s when he’s at his best.”
Both goalies should be able to put their skills on display this weekend at home as Jarry and Nedeljkovic are likely to split starts against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday and the Islanders in a rematch game on Sunday.