The 26-year-old goaltender posted a 3.18 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage as the New York Islanders eliminated Pittsburgh in six games during their Round 1 matchup. Overall, Jarry actually played really well in the series until the heartbreaking finish to Game 5.
Jarry misplayed a puck during the second overtime period, and Josh Bailey capitalized to give the Islanders a 3-2 win and put the Penguins on the brink of elimination. From there, Jarry didn't bounce back the way he would have liked in Game 6, which the Islanders won 5-3.
"I think it's just learning from it and getting better," Jarry said. "That was my first time playing in postseason games consecutively. I think just being able to learn from that, learn from the goals I let in, learn from the mistakes that I had - I think that'll make me a better person and a better goalie."
Jarry said he's already heard from quite a few former goaltenders around the league, who reached out to share their own insights and experiences surrounding what happened.
"I think that was something that was uplifting, and something that will help me get through it and just motivate me and push me to be better next year," Jarry said. "I think that's something that I'm able to bounce off those guys and those guys are there to help. I think that's always encouraging that you have that hockey family around the league."
He also has his Penguins family around the rink, as Jarry's teammates continued to have his back.
"I know that there's been a lot of attention and a lot of blame on him through the series, but I think that's unfair," defenseman Mike Matheson said. "It's a team game, and through each game, we made a lot of mistakes throughout the lineup. To be able to think that you can narrow it down to one person or one position or whatever the case may be is unfair.
"It's six games of back-and-forth play and at the end the day, they got the best of it. There's a lot of reasons for that. It's not just one. So I don't think my confidence in him has changed. No chance."
And neither has Jarry's confidence in himself. It's not always easy to have perspective when everything is so fresh, but there was a lot to like about his season.
After putting together an All-Star campaign in 2019-20, Jarry ended up finishing this year with 25 wins - third-most in the NHL - and earned at least one point in 15 of his last 17 starts. He was one of the biggest reasons the Penguins finished first place in the East Division and earned a 15th-straight playoff berth.
However, the playoffs are certainly a different beast, and as head coach Mike Sullivan said, having success challenges your every being - whether it's physically, mentally or emotionally. But experience is the best teacher, and Jarry went through a lot of hard lessons that he'll use to his advantage moving forward.
"I played a lot of good hockey this year," he said. "I played a lot of games and went through a lot of learning and teaching moments, and I think that's going to make me a better person and better player. I think that you learn from those experiences and those experiences are something that you'll hold with you and take with you. I think it's something that will push you to be better, and I will be better next year."
Jarry plans on returning home to western Canada, where he splits time between Vancouver and Edmonton, where he owns a barley farm. He said he's going to get back, take a couple days off and then start training.
He's not sure what the Penguins' goalie situation will look like next year, but that it's out of his control. All he can control is working on improving his own game.
"That's their decision. It's up to them, it's up to management," Jarry said. "I think just having a good summer, pushing myself and just coming back as the best version of myself is all I can do."
