When the Penguins returned to practice late Friday afternoon in Cranberry, they did so with two goaltenders on the ice. Neither one of them was Matt Murray.
In a surprise move, Casey DeSmith was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with no corresponding roster move being announced. The team announced later Friday that Murray had to go to his Ontario home to attend to a "personal family matter."
After Friday's practice, Mike Sullivan confirmed only that Murray will not play Saturday afternoon against the Red Wings and that he is "day-to-day at this point."
"Matt's going to get as much time as he needs," Sullivan said. "He will not play tomorrow and we will go from there."
The Penguins return from their five-day bye with a set of back-to-back games this weekend at PPG Paints Arena against Detroit on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday night.
Tristan Jarry will make his third straight start, though he was pulled from last Sunday's 6-5 overtime win over the Bruins. Murray finished the game, making eight saves, including a penalty shot stop on Brad Marchand.
Murray has posted a mildly disappointing 15-12-2 record with a .903 save percentage. Jarry, who is 7-3-2 and .919, has been the better goalie of late.
Sullivan expressed his faith in Jarry, who handled the No. 1 duties for two weeks earlier last month after Murray went down with a lower body injury.
"I think he's proven that he's a very capable guy," Sullivan said. "He's played some really good games for us. He's given us a chance to win most nights he's been in there, and that's what we ask of our goaltenders.
"We all have believed in Tristan's capabilities. We know he's a very good goalie, has a lot of upside. We think he's only going to get better as he gets a little more mature and gains a little bit more experience, but he should certainly have a lot of confidence at this point with what he's been able to accomplish at this particular point in the season -- that he's a legitimate NHL-caliber goaltender. I think he's proven that to everybody."
DeSmith has made two NHL appearances in relief this season, most recently against Toronto on Dec. 9. In 19 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, DeSmith is 12-5-2 with a .915 save percentage. He was recently selected to play in the AHL All-Star Game.