Jarry, Penguins shut out Predators to gain in East wild card race

PITTSBURGH -- Tristan Jarry made 28 saves, and the Pittsburgh Penguins gained in the Eastern Conference wild card race with a 2-0 win against the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.

Jarry started for the first time since March 22, missing one game with a lower-body injury and backing up Casey DeSmith in the following two.
"The two points are huge," Jarry said. "That's all we're going for this time of year. Every time we go on the ice, we want to put our best game forward. I think we were able to do that tonight. We needed the two points. I think that helps us a lot."

Jason Zucker and Jake Guentzel scored for the Penguins (37-28-10), who had lost six of eight. Pittsburgh pulled within three points of the New York Islanders for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Penguins have a game in hand.
Pittsburgh also maintained a one-point lead on the Florida Panthers for the second wild card. Florida won 5-2 against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
"I think it's important that we feel good about it tonight," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "That's a competitive team that we played. They beat some pretty good teams as of late. So, I just think we have to feel good about it tonight.
"That's an important aspect, just the confidence moving forward. I think we can take that out of tonight. … Having that playoff mindset, that we raise our intensity level in all the aspects of the game."
Juuse Saros made 43 saves for the Predators (37-29-8), who won 2-1 at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, their only victory in the past four games
Nashville remained three points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card from the Western Conference.
"It's a playoff mindset now," Predators coach John Hynes said. "You have to move on to the next one. You have to take some lessons from each game, but you certainly have to be able to turn around quick."

Zucker gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 14:15 of the second period, tapping in a pass from Brian Dumoulin at the left post. Dumoulin dragged the puck around Nashville defenseman Kevin Gravel, on his stomach for a block attempt, before finding Zucker.
"Great pass," Sullivan said. "I thought it was a great play by 'Dumo.'" Real good poise, great vision. It was just a heck of a play. … That's what he's capable of and, obviously, that was a great play by him."
Zucker has scored in back-to-back games following a seven-game drought.
"They're a heck of a team," Zucker said. "They play a tough system and they battled tonight. So, it definitely felt like an amped up game, for sure."
The Predators were outshot 15-5 in the second but could have gone ahead on a partial breakaway from Kiefer Sherwood at 10:37. After gloving a puck out of the air in the neutral zone, Sherwood drove to the slot ahead of Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph for a wrist shot that Jarry turned away.
"I think they stepped it up in the second," Nashville defenseman Tyson Barrie said. "Wasn't our best period. Give them credit, they played well. But we just couldn't find one tonight. We had a couple breakaways."

Philip Tomasino nearly tied it with a wrist shot on a breakaway off a turnover by Kris Letang at 8:48, but was denied on a sliding save by Jarry.
Guentzel made it 2-0 eight seconds into a power play at 13:03 of the third, redirecting a backdoor pass from Rickard Rakell for his 34th goal.
"They're in a similar spot to us where they're battling for the playoffs." Barrie said. "Maybe they had a little more tonight."
NOTES: It was Jarry's second shutout this season and 13th in the NHL. ... Nashville was 0-for-3 on the power play and is 1-for-29 with the man-advantage in its past 10 games. … Penguins forward Mikael Granlund had five shots on goal in his first game against his former team since being acquired in a trade from the Predators on March 1. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in 14 games with Pittsburgh.