COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nobody is talking much about Tristan Jarry outside of Pittsburgh as the Stanley Cup playoffs approach. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Penguins’ goaltender is in no one’s conversation for the Vezina Trophy. A slow start to an abbreviated season essentially removed him from consideration. More importantly, there wasn’t any discussion about Jarry and the need for the Penguins to add a veteran goalie in the days leading up to the April 12 trade deadline. That’s how steady he and backup Casey DeSmith have been since mid-February, with the club going 25-8-2 in that span to sit atop the East Division.
The team's resilience in the face of injuries has been a focal point. So has the play of Sidney Crosby and line mates Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. Brian Dumoulin’s return from injury to stabilize the defensive corps and Kris Letang's return to form also have earned mention.
Along the way, Jarry quietly has been among the NHL’s most reliable goaltenders. He’s tied for second in wins (18) and tied for sixth in save percentage (.924) since Feb. 15 for keepers with at least 15 appearances. Jarry has lost consecutive games only once in that run and has done a nice job of rebounding from rough outings against the Rangers on April 6 and the bizarre six-goals-against third period on April 20 in a 7-6 win over the Devils.
Naturally, there’s always the unknown with how goalies will respond to carrying a playoff load for the first time. We tend to forget Braden Holtby wasn’t the goalie of choice for the Capitals when they won the Cup in 2018. Philipp Grubauer lost the first two games of Washington’s opening-round series against the Blue Jackets before Holtby led them to the title. Neither the Capitals nor the Penguins have a veteran safety net this time around should their starters wobble out of the postseason gate.
But Jarry’s performance isn’t the biggest concern with the Penguins, who are 1-9 in their last 10 playoff games. Opponents have checked them into submission, allowing a grand total of 18 goals in that span. That includes the 2-0 loss in last year’s elimination game against the Canadiens in which Jarry, making his first playoff start, was just fine in stopping 20 of 21 shots.
If the Penguins maintain their regular-season offensive potency, they could emerge from the divisional playoff rounds. Otherwise, it’s not going to matter how well Jarry performs.
Pittsburgh looks like a legitimate contender heading into the regular season’s final two weeks. But the Capitals appear formidable even with two untested playoff goalies and the Islanders remain the division’s boa constrictors with that outlandish 20-1-2 mark when scoring first.
Jarry’s laidback approach should serve him well in the postseason crucible. The goalie proved he could backstop the Penguins to the playoffs with Matt Murray no longer tethered to the roster.
There’s no reason to think Jarry won’t be up to the challenge for what lies ahead. Even if not many outside of Pittsburgh are talking about him.
YOUR TURN: What is your level of confidence in Jarry heading into the playoffs?
