The Penguins practiced on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles as they prepare to close out their three-game California road trip tomorrow against the Kings. Tristan Jarry was the only player absent after getting injured late in the second period of Tuesday’s 2-0 shutout win over Anaheim.
“There is no real update. He’s continuing to be evaluated right now,” Mike Sullivan said. “I would say his status is day-to-day.”
As detailed in the game story, it was a tough sequence for the Penguins netminder, starting when Adam Henrique skated past and collided with Jarry’s helmet as they were both trying to get in their respective positions. Then, as Jarry went down, the puck hit him in the face, causing him to bleed. He skated to the bench on his own and headed to the locker room, where he did not return.
When asked if the Penguins needed to recall a goaltender from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Sullivan said that was probably a better question for President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas.
“It all depends on what we get back today from some of the test results and things like that,” Sullivan said. “If he ends up inevitably getting ruled out, then I imagine we would.”
WBS has two goalies available to be called up if needed: 2020 second-round pick Joel Blomqvist, who’s off to a terrific start in his first season of pro hockey in North America, and Taylor Gauthier.
But regardless of who may come up, if Jarry is unable to dress, Magnus Hellberg will most likely get his first start of the year for Pittsburgh after making two relief appearances on Oct. 28 versus Ottawa and last night in Anaheim.
“Obviously, when you know you're starting a game, it's always nice, you know?” Hellberg said. “Instead of just getting thrown in there. That's kind of what you want, and I plan for it. But obviously, we don't know what's going on with Jars, so we'll see what happens.”
The 6-foot-6 Swede signed a one-year deal this offseason after the Penguins showed interest early in free agency, hoping to build up their goalie depth. The 32-year-old came to Pittsburgh with quite a varied resume, having played 13 seasons of professional hockey in various leagues, including a stint in the KHL after some time in the NHL, AHL and ECHL.
