After making 29 saves in Pittsburgh's playoff-clinching win over the New York Islanders on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, Tristan Jarry did not practice on Friday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
Head coach Mike Sullivan said afterward that the Penguins netminder is currently being evaluated for a lower-body injury. He did not travel with the team to Boston for their game against the Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
Jarry Being Evaluated for Lower-Body Injury
DeSmith ready to step up
That means Casey DeSmith will assume starting duties for the immediate future until there is a status update on Jarry. Sullivan said the team will likely recall Louis Domingue from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League to back him up.
"We have full confidence in Case," Sullivan said. "His game has really evolved over the course of the season. I think since the turn of the calendar year, he's put really solid hockey together for us. He's given us a chance to win each and every night."
It was certainly a tough start for DeSmith. Between the nature of the schedule, Jarry's All-Star caliber play and a period spent in the COVID protocol, he wasn't able to get consistent playing time. And whenever DeSmith did get in, he wasn't thrilled with his performances, going 0-3-1 in his first four appearances before finally securing a victory on December 6th in Seattle.
But so much of a goalie's success centers around staying in the moment and focusing on stopping that next shot, so while the adversity that he faced through that experience certainly helped DeSmith grow and get stronger, it's not one he's dwelling on.
"At the time, obviously it's tough to deal with. I hate losing, as does everyone," DeSmith said. "But I was happy to obviously get back on the right foot there and win some games and start building the confidence back. So yeah, ancient history. I haven't thought about the first four games this season in a while. So that's nice."
He really buckled down in January with goalie coach Andy Chiodo during practices to try and recapture his best game. Between that and a change in goalie pads - DeSmith joked that they just weren't very good juju - his play started to turn around.
"I'm just trying to play my game, keeping things simple," DeSmith said. "I've been doing good work on the ice trying to work on cleaning up areas in my game that I thought could improve. Gaining confidence, too - that's always key for any player, any goalie."
He enters tomorrow's matinee with an 8-4-5 overall record, picking up points in three straight games. After an overtime loss in Buffalo on March 23, DeSmith strung together a pair of overtime wins, starting with a 4-3 triumph in Minnesota.
He followed that up with an excellent performance on Sunday against Nashville, playing a key role in helping the Penguins break their four-game losing streak.
"I just try and give the team the best chance to win that I can every time that I go in the net," DeSmith said. "Obviously, not going to win every game and not going to lose every game. So just giving the team a chance, and if we put together a solid performance as a team, including myself, then we should have a chance to win every night. So that's definitely something I take pride in."
OTHER PRACTICE UPDATES:
- Defenseman Mike Matheson was given a maintenance day and did not skate. All other expected players were present.
- The Penguins stuck with the same forward lines they used on Thursday against the Islanders:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Zucker-Carter-Rust
McGinn-Blueger-Heinen
Rodrigues-Boyle-Kapanen
Evgeni Malkin, who has served two games of his four-game suspension, rotated with the defenseman with Matheson unavailable.
- Saturday's matchup in Boston is the first half of a home-and-home between the teams. They'll meet again on Thursday, April 21, which means the Penguins will have four days off between games.
