SUNRISE, Fla. -- It was just over a month ago that Tristan Jarry was coming off a seventh game in a row in which he allowed three or more goals, but after the Penguins' 4-2 victory over the Panthers here at FLA Live Arena on Thursday night, it seems like nothing more than a distant memory.
Although they lost Evgeni Malkin in the third period due to injury after taking a Sidney Crosby shot-pass off his knee, the Penguins are victors of seven games in a row and sit just four standings points behind the Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Jarry is on quite the run himself, improving to 9-0-1 in his last 10 games with 8.79 goals saved above expected based on the quality of chances he's faced during that span, per Evolving-Hockey. The latter figure tops all but two goalies around the league, Ville Husso and Karel Vejmelka, if you can believe it, since Nov. 19.
"We expect it because he’s capable," Mike Sullivan said of Jarry after the game. "He’s a real good goalie and we always believed that. He’s capable of playing at a real high level and I think he’s playing at a high level right now. That’s what he’s capable of."
Jarry stopped 32 of 34 Panthers shots and was there for the Penguins pretty much every step of the way, and they had to rely on him quite a bit.
The Penguins had no trouble creating their own offense, but they were nowhere near as staunch defensively as they displayed on Monday night against the Stars when they won 2-1.
It was just three minutes into the game that Jarry was tasked with shutting down a grade-A, point-blank chance from the Panthers. He tracked the puck well and was able to turn the opportunity aside like it was nothing:
Many of the significant looks the Panthers created were similar in the sense that they were able to find soft spots in the slot and around the net as the Penguins chased or got caught puck-watching.
"When you look at the way the game was played tonight, it was very different than the last game we played," Sullivan said. "It just seemed that it was loose on both sides. There were some quality looks on both sides and we’d obviously like to be better at eliminating some of those."
If the Panthers weren't creating looks by slipping through the Penguins' defensive coverage, they were doing so on the counterattack, as they had their fair share of odd-man rushes, as well as this breakaway from Nick Cousins halfway through the first period that Jarry denied:
Jarry was tested during the first period, but it was the second period in which he earned his stripes.
The Panthers attempted 24 shots during the second, 18 of which made it on goal. And Jarry stopped all of them.
I hesitate to say the Penguins were under siege in their own end due to their chance-creation further up the ice, but they were far from playing sound defensive hockey. That was the case from the very first shift of the second period:
No, your eyes do not deceive you. That's two Penguins below the goal line with another standing on the goal line, all while a Panthers skater stood unmarked in prime scoring position. Jarry bailed them out.
After the game, Jarry mentioned the importance of being mentally prepared at the start of each period so that he can help the skaters in front of him weather the storm when they don't come out with their best.
"I’m just trying to make as many saves as possible," Jarry said. "I think that helps give the team a chance, and it helps them kind of get their feet under themselves. No matter how we start or how the team comes out, I want to come out the same way and I think just being focused and prepared, that helps me start every period strong."
He bailed them out again later in the period, this time absolutely stoning Sam Bennett with a sprawling pad save to preserve the Penguins' one-goal lead:
And then again just a couple minutes later:
Pardon me for stating the obvious, but Jarry coming up with big saves like the ones above versus simply performing at a league-average level is something that could push this team over the edge.
"He’s been unbelievable for us," Jake Guentzel said of Jarry. "He brings it each and every night and we feel confident with both goalies back there, but especially him. It’s really nice to see how he’s playing and we’re lucky to have him."
Kris Letang's answer about Jarry, while much more concise, packed just as much of a punch.
"We all know he’s really good," Letang said. "He’s gonna win some games for us."
There's a lot of season left, and if I've learned anything about hockey, it's that goaltending performance -- unless you're Connor Hellebuyck -- is as volatile as anything in the sport. However, up until the start of last season, Jarry roughly performed as a league-average goalie overall. He then turned in a really solid season in 2021-22. I was skeptical that it was a new norm for him, especially after that disastrous 2021 postseason series against the Islanders, but he's doing everything he can to convince us that he is legitimately one of the better goalies in the league, even if he isn't one of the top dogs.
"When you look at him from the start of training camp, his game has been building. It’s been growing, it’s getting better by the day," Sullivan said. "He’s been a big part of the success we’ve enjoyed as of late."
GETTY
Rickard Rakell tries to stuff a loose puck behind the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• This might have been Letang's best game since very early in the season, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he scored a short-handed goal and added an assist on Guentzel's power-play goal. During his 20:58 of ice-time at 5-on-5, the Penguins out-attempted the Panthers 23-12 and controlled 85.8% of the expected goals. That's a dazzling figure regardless of context, but then you consider the fact that he played more than anyone else and did it against the Panthers' top players and it's even more remarkable.
"He’s keeping the game simple," Sullivan said of Letang's play since he returned to the lineup. "He just has the ability to log so many minutes night in and night out. It’s such an important aspect of his game, of our game. We rely on him in so many situations. I think since he’s been back, just the simplicity in his game has been really effective. He’s moving the puck, he’s not trying to do too much."
• Here's Letang's beauty of a short-handed goal:
What. A. Pass. Bryan Rust really outdid himself.
I've got a Freeze Frame breaking it down. Check it out. Or deal with the ramifications from DK.
• And here's Guentzel's power-play marker that deflected in off his skate:
That technique, Guentzel explained, was all thanks to Malkin.
"In Buffalo last week, I went down on one knee and Geno just told me to use my skates, kind of get back like he does," Guentzel said. "He scores a lot of goals like that and he did it tonight, again, so credit goes to him. He made a good play and I was just trying to get something on it."
• Guentzel, quickly making a claim to become the the king of empty-net goals, sealed the victory with his fifth empty-netter of the season. He's tied with Alex Ovechkin for the most in the league. Total, he's up to 15 goals and 31 points in 26 games.
• The Penguins' first line was their best line by a long shot. They weren't able to find the back of the net at 5-on-5, but they did out-attempt the Panthers 18-13 while controlling 69.6% of the expected goals. They came out hot on the very first shift and seemed to create something of substance nearly every time they hopped over the boards:
"I think we were just working well on the forecheck, creating turnovers, just playing close to one another and did a good job of getting out of our end, too," Crosby told me when I asked what was working for them. "We gave ourselves an opportunity to play there and generated some good chances."
• Crosby recorded the primary assist on Malkin's goal that took him out of the game, as well as the primary assist on Guentzel's empty-netter. 40 points in 30 games for the ageless wonder.
• P.O Joseph's performance this season has been far better than I ever imagined it could be, but he didn't have his best on Thursday. I wouldn't necessarily say he played a bad game, but he wasn't as swift or efficient when moving the puck up ice or distributing in the offensive zone. I'm sure he'll bounce back.
• It wasn't a very good game for Jan Rutta, either. Maybe his weakest in a Penguins uniform. He took two minor penalties, was on the ice for both Panthers goals and just wasn't the steadying defensive presence he's shown to be capable of. Games like that will happen. Turn the page and move on.
• I'm floored by how seamlessly Marcus Pettersson has transitioned to playing on the top pairing. I've always liked his game, but I did have some concerns about him regularly going up against top competition in addition to increased usage, but he has absolutely squashed those concerns. He doesn't look out of place at all, even if he's best-suited as a second-pairing guy.
• The power play went 2-for-3 and now has goals in seven consecutive games, a new record under Sullivan, per historian Bob Grove.
• The penalty-kill was spotless again, killing all three of their minor penalties. Their 83% success rate on the season has them all the way up to fourth in the NHL.
• Josh Archibald did not play a second on the penalty-kill in this one despite the Penguins being short-handed on three separate occasions. Rust is continuing to get regular usage on the kill, though, as he logged the second-most PK ice-time among Penguins forwards with 2:59. Brock McGinn checked in with the most at 3:22.
• The Penguins' +20 goal differential is tied for sixth in the NHL.
• With Jason Zucker on the shelf with a lower-body injury, Danton Heinen skated on the left wing of the second line. He played 14:13 and attempted two shots, one of which made it on goal. He still seems to be fighting through a bit of a funk, as he forced a couple of drop-passes upon entry to the offensive zone and also failed to pick his head up and recognize a linemate streaking up the far side of the ice during the third period. It was definitely a better performance than what we've seen from him at times over the past month, though, and Sullivan was pleased with what he saw.
"I thought Danton had a good game," Sullivan told me. "Like I said to you guys before the game, we think he’s got real good offensive instincts. He’s a guy that can score goals, he can make plays. He has the ability to play in our top-six, and he’s done it for a year and a half now. We move him all around the lineup, but in the times like these when Zuck goes down, we’re looking for somebody to move into the top-six. He’s a guy that we look to that’s capable of doing that, and I thought he played pretty solid tonight."
• Thanks, as always, for reading!
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at FLA Live Arena:
1. Kris Letang, Penguins D
2. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins C
3. Ryan Lomberg, Panthers LW
THE INJURIES
• Malkin left the game in the third period after taking a shot-pass from Crosby off the knee. He had to be helped off the ice and did not return, although he was seen walking around under his own power with his knee wrapped in ice after the game. It's not believed to be an overly serious injury at this time.
• Jeff Petry is on long-term injured reserve after jamming his wrist/hand/arm into the wall during a collision against the Sabres last Saturday.
• Jason Zucker is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The injury likely occurred when he blocked a shot with his foot against the Stars on Monday. He is not traveling on the current road trip, but Sullivan is hopeful he won't miss too much time.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
Danton Heinen - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn - Jeff Carter - Kasperi Kapanen
Ryan Poehling - Teddy Blueger - Josh Archibald
Marcus Pettersson - Kris Letang
Brian Dumoulin - Jan Rutta
P.O Joseph - Chad Ruhwedel
And for Paul Maurice's Panthers:
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen - Sam Bennett - Zac Dalpe
Ryan Lomberg - Eric Staal - Nick Cousins
Aleksi Heponiemi - Grigori Denisenko
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Marc Staal - Brandon Montour
Matt Kiersted - Josh Mahura
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins have the day off on Friday. They'll be back on the ice for practice on Saturday in Raleigh, 1:45 p.m. Then on Sunday, they'll play the Hurricanes, 5 p.m., at PNC Arena. I'll have your coverage for the duration of the road trip.
THE CONTENT
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