Penguins send struggling goalie Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh to get in individual work
Buffalo Sabres' JJ Peterka, right, gets a shot behind Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent struggling goaltender Tristan Jarry home so he could get some individual work in hopes of breaking out of an early season funk.
Coach Mike Sullivan made the announcement on Thursday. The Penguins are in the middle of a four-game road trip through Western Canada that continues on Friday in Edmonton.
Jarry is 1-1-0 in three games for the Penguins with a 5.47 goals against average and an .836 save percentage. The two-time All-Star hasn't played since being pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in the first period of what became a 6-5 overtime victory over Buffalo on Oct. 16.
Sullivan said Jarry will spend time working with Jon Elkin, the club's director of goaltending.
“It’s just part of the process we’ve put in place in here over the next little while to help Tristan get to his very best,” Sullivan said.
Jarry is in the second year of a five-year contract extension he signed in July 2023. While Jarry's six shutouts tied for the NHL lead last season, he was effectively benched down the stretch last spring in favor of Alex Nedjelkovic and his goals against average (2.91) and save percentage (.903) marked career lows since he became an NHL regular during the 2019-20 season.
While the organization and Jarry expressed optimism that he was ready to hit the reset button, the opening weeks of the season have been troubling.
“The first couple of starts that he’s had haven’t been his best,” Sullivan said. "I’m probably stating the obvious when I say that. But it’s our responsibility to help players through some of the struggles they inevitably go through in this league, and Tristan is no different.”
Nedjelkovic and rookie Joel Blomqvist are splitting goaltending duties at the moment for Pittsburgh, which has lost three straight. The Penguins finish up the road swing in Vancouver on Saturday before returning to Pittsburgh for a three-game homestand next week.
It's unclear when Jarry will return to game action.
“This is just a process that we’ve put in place,” Sullivan said. "We spoke to Tristan about it. He’s bought into it, and we’ll go from there.”
