Jarry Returns to Pittsburgh with Renewed Confidence

Tristan Jarry rejoined the Penguins at practice on Sunday after being recalled from his conditioning loan with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Saturday.

The plan was for Jarry to play five games total for Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliate over a 14-day span, and come back feeling good about his play after a shaky start to the season.

“Obviously, the first couple games up here didn't go the way that I wanted,” said the 29-year-old netminder, who went 1-1 before getting pulled in his third start, posting a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage. “So, it was just going down there, kind of refining my game a little bit, and being able to play those games consecutively and work those things out as a player.”

As head coach Mike Sullivan said, Jarry played “extremely well” while embracing the process in WBS, saying it turned out as the Penguins had hoped. He posted a 4-1 record with a 2.16 GAA and .926 save percentage with WBS.

Jarry said he spoke with Penguins president of hockey operations and GM Kyle Dubas before heading to WBS, and they thought it would be a good idea for him to have the net for several games in a row. While Jarry admitted that “it’s never easy when you have to kind of pick your family up and move to a different place and play some games, I think that's all part of the challenge. That's what you sign up for as a hockey player.”

Now, Jarry and the Penguins must keep that momentum going in Pittsburgh.

“I want to come back here and I want to play well,” Jarry said. “That's my goal, and that's what I want to do. I want to help this team as much as possible. Whenever I'm in the net, I think (it’s about) giving them a chance to win, and helping this team get in a good place.”

He’s been working with Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo, director of goaltending Jon Elkin, and WBS goalie coach Kain Tisi to rebuild his confidence. As Dubas said, it’s not just about Jarry rediscovering his form, it’s about consistently playing to his potential. He’s a talented goaltender who has put together an impressive body of work for the organization that traded up to draft him in the second round back in 2013, including two NHL All-Star nods.

To do that, “I think it's just having a strong mind, a strong mental game. I think that's all you could really do,” Jarry said. “Winning a couple of games consecutively helps your game. So just being able to do that and kind of refining your game, I think will help a lot, and hopefully it translates up here.”

While Jarry was in WBS, Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist served as Pittsburgh’s tandem. Nedeljkovic had earned a two-year contract this summer after his excellent finish to last season, but suffered a lower-body injury in his first exhibition game at the end of September. He had to find his game after this season had already begun, which Sullivan always likens to jumping on a moving train, but produced some solid performances.

Meanwhile, Blomqvist came into the 2024.25 campaign with the goal of pushing for a spot in the team after an AHL All-Star season, saying, “I think that's the only goal you should have.” Dubas said in the summer they expected all of their signed goaltenders to compete for playing time with Pittsburgh, and that nothing would be handed to anyone.

Blomqvist has since put together an impressive body of work in the first seven games of his NHL career, and the 22-year-old has opened a lot of eyes, particularly in his most recent appearance on Friday in Washington.

So, in the short term, the Penguins feel they have three capable goaltenders – and Sullivan said the situation should eventually play itself out.

“At the end of the day, performance is always going to be the dictator,” Sullivan said. “This week we got four games, there's a lot of opportunity there. I think it would give whichever goalie is not backing up on that given night an opportunity to get some real quality time with Chico, our goalie coach. I think that's one of the benefits of having three. So, we'll manage it accordingly.

“At the end of the day, the question that we try to ask is which guy gives us the best chance to win? That, I think is, is what pro sports is all about.”