It's hard to argue against Jason Zucker being named the No. 1 star for his two-goal effort in Friday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens, but Tristan Jarry made a strong case as well.
Jarry stopped 34 of 35 shots, including all 18 shots faced in the third period. He stood tall for the Penguins, especially in that final frame when the Canadiens were controlling much of the play and making a push:
The only goal Jarry allowed was a second-period power play goal from Tomas Tatar, a goal that was answered by Jason Zucker 36 seconds later.
"It's huge," Jarry said of Zucker's response. "It could be a momentum turn for the team, and they could get some momentum from it, so it's coming right back and making sure we're taking it back as quick as we can. To get a goal right after, I think it was huge."
The win may have meant just a little more to Jarry, playing opposite of Carey Price, someone he looked up to growing up. Price is from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Jarry is from Surrey, just 30 minutes west. Price made 24 saves on 27 shots in the Canadiens' loss.
"He's a great goaltender," Jarry said. "You see how well he's played over the years and how well he's done so it was pretty neat to play against him a couple of times now. ... I think him, being from the lower mainland, he's someone I've always watched growing up. He's someone that everyone always talked about, being from B.C., so he's someone all the younger generation looked up to."
Jarry, who was 12 years old when Price made his NHL debut at age 20 in 2007, said that Price was someone he was able to model his game after as a young goaltender.
"You see how well he plays the puck and how sound he is positionally," Jarry said of Price. "That's something everyone tries to model their game after. He's so well in position, I think that helps out a lot."
It was a louder-than-usual Friday night crowd at PPG Paints Arena, and Jarry was frequently the subject of their chants, especially with the late third-period saves like the ones above.
"It's pretty neat," Jarry said of the fan response tonight. "It's something you always remember, it's something that feels good inside. It's great to know the fans are always behind you."
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AROUND THE RINK
• Max Talbot served as the team's French PA announcer for French Language Night. Talbot spoke about his role earlier in the morning.
Here's a clip of Talbot announcing Kris Letang's second-period goal:
Max Talbot’s first goal call#pens #DKPS pic.twitter.com/ovaF8QsWTW
— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) February 15, 2020
It's hard to see, but Letang definitely looked like he was laughing on the bench over his former teammate announcing his goal.
• The night was sponsored by language-learning app Duolingo. Duolingo's mascot, an owl, stared at the players from the penalty box (along with a mime) during warmups then had to be squeezed out of there because he's so round:
It’s going to be a good game. #Pens #DKPS pic.twitter.com/SXPxZnlXVi
— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) February 14, 2020
Alright, they squeezed the owl through the door sideways. He is robust. #Pens #DKPS pic.twitter.com/jZsBoHIi6n
— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) February 14, 2020
• Brett Keisel, unrecognizable after shaving his beard, was the Hometown Hero on the ice for the anthem, and he brought out a Terrible Towel with him. Canadian country singer Brett Kissel (yes, a different guy) sang both anthems.
• Zucker's wife Carly and their two youngest children were in the building for the first time since the trade. Their oldest, Carly's daughter from a previous marriage, was unable to make the trip. Carly is funny on Twitter:
We’re coming for you, Pittsburgh! Coming to support the only man who could keep me from Bret Michaels - Sidney Crosby. Oh, and @Jason_Zucker16 ?? pic.twitter.com/8jSQZHdiqf
— Carly Zucker (@CarlyAplin) February 14, 2020
Their two-year old son prepared the night before:
We’re learning ?? @Jason_Zucker16 pic.twitter.com/pW0IitWlTS
— Carly Zucker (@CarlyAplin) February 14, 2020
BEHIND THE SCENES
• Talbot and Sidney Crosby were catching up in the hallway earlier in the day.
• Zach Aston-Reese has taken Jake Guentzel's usual spot in the earlier of the two pregame sewerball groups. The 5 p.m. group is usually Guentzel, Marcus Pettersson, Bryan Rust, Brandon Tanev, and Jared McCann, then a larger group plays after their 5:30 p.m. meeting.
• Jason Zucker got a pair of gloves made for him now. The gloves he wore last game had Guentzel's name on them. I guess you could say he found his hands.
• Zucker was awarded the team MVP firefighter helmet.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Zucker is the 26th different Penguins player to score at least one goal this season. He's the 20th player to have at least two goals.
• Evgeni Malkin had a five-game point streak end.
• The win was the Penguins' 20th at home of the season, tying the Bruins for the most in the league.
• The Penguins moved within three points of the Capitals for the Metropolitan Division lead.
• McCann led with five shots on goal, two more than any other Penguins player.
• Tanev recorded 10 hits, a season-high for him and tying his career-high. He also recorded 10 hits on Jan. 4 of last season against the Jets.
• Aston-Reese's empty net goal was his second goal in 31 games.
• Andrew Agozzino's 6:49 of ice time is tied for the fourth-most for him in one game this season.
MILESTONE WATCH
• Malkin (895) is 20 games away from tying Mario Lemieux (915) for second all-time in Penguins franchise history in games played.
• Malkin (1,060) is 19 points away from tying Jaromir Jagr (1,079) for third all-time in franchise history in scoring.
• Malkin (942) is 17 minutes away from tying Rod Buskas (959) for third all-time in franchise history in penalty minutes
• Malkin (72) is two game-winning goals away from tying Lemieux (74) for second-all time in franchise history, and six away from tying Jagr (78).
• Crosby (314) is six even strength goals away from tying Jagr (320) for second all-time in franchise history.
• Matt Murray (191) is five games away from tying Les Binkley (196) for fifth all-time in franchise history in games played by a goaltender.
THEY SAID IT
• Mike Sullivan on Zucker: "I thought his speed was more noticeable tonight. You could see how good he is on the transition when the puck changes from defense to offense. Just his ability to create separation and jump into windows of opportunity. We've got some guys that can get him the puck, so I thought that was much more evident tonight. I just think Jason's going to get more comfortable with every day that he's here."
• Zucker on the pass from Crosby for his first goal: "That pass was incredible. I'm just glad I touched that one. The one in the third I missed by about four feet."
• Zucker on the pass from Pettersson for his second goal: "That was unbelievable, I'm going to start giving Petey the puck more often. I stole one from him the shift before that when he was trying to take a one-timer, so that was great."
• Zucker on the culture in Pittsburgh: "It's a winning culture. I felt that the day I got here, the first game. It was a different feeling in here in a great way. I'm just excited to be a part of it."
• Aston-Reese on snapping his goalless streak: "It's a lot easier when there's no goalie there. It's nice that coach trusts us in those situation. We made a nice play as a line."
• Dominik Simon when asked if Zucker looked more comfortable this game: "Yeah. You saw it, he scored two goals."
• Simon on their line's chemistry: "It feels great. I think we all play fast, we have to stay on them, stay on top of our game when we play with Sid. ... He's the best player in the world, so you can't think about it too much that you play with him. You have to stay with your game and stay on top of your game every night because he always brings it."
THE OTHER SIDE
• The Canadiens, with 61 points, now sit fifth in the Atlantic Division standings, seven points behind the Maple Leafs for a playoff spot. They're 10 points behind the Flyers and Blue Jackets for a wild card spot. The Sabres are gaining ground and trail the Canadiens by just one point.
• Canadiens head coach Claude Julien: "I know our chances are getting slimmer every game we lose. But we look around and we get a little bit of help, like last night. So it gives you hope. At the end of the day, it's pretty simple: We're going to have to get on a really good winning streak if we plan on getting back into this hunt."
• Tomas Tatar, who scored the lone Canadiens goal: "It's not easy to play in this building. Obviously, they have a really good team. But I think we were battling with them for a long time."
PHOTO GALLERY
Penguins vs. Canadiens, Feb. 14, 2020, PPG Paints Arena. - GETTY
