Penguins locker clean-out day was filled with ample talk of inconsistency, missed opportunities and waiting too long to get hot. But a popular topic of discussion was also what happens in goal.
When the team did its best to push for a playoff spot, Alex Nedeljkovic became what coach Mike Sullivan described as the “hot hand,” with Tristan Jarry making his last start March 22 at Dallas.
Yet while Sullivan appreciated the efforts of Nedeljkovic, who went 8-1-2 over his final dozen outings, with a 2.93 goals-against average and .902 save percentage, the Penguins coach seemed to go out of his way to back Jarry.
“I thought Ned played terrific down the stretch,” Sullivan said. “That was one of the reasons we chose to put him in goal. That doesn’t diminish our belief in Tristan at all. When you look at the body of work that those two guys had throughout the course of the season, for a significant amount of the season, their numbers were very respectable.
“We chose to go with what we deemed the hot hand down the stretch. That’s not a slight on Tristan. We believe Tristan is a solid NHL goalie, and it’s a credit to ‘Ned’ that he worked extremely hard and put the work in to be prepared for the opportunity when it came calling.
“We believe we have a tandem that’s very capable.”
As a team, the Penguins finished with a 5-on-5 save percentage of .912%, per Natural Stat Trick, which was tied for 17th in the NHL. Their goalies lacked when it came to facing high-danger shots, that specific mark (.785%) ranking third from the bottom.
The performance of both goalies was obviously not isolated to their individual play, as the Penguins at various times struggled with stuff like defending the slot and allowing odd-man rushes.
Their inconsistency was also a microcosm of what the team experienced — the blown leads, the poorly managed late-game situations, on and on.
“I think it just goes to show how much every game means,” Nedeljkovic said. “You can’t let those games early on in the year get away from you. They always seem to come back and bite you.
“So I think we can look back at the season as a whole and say it was a fine season. But obviously not up to par.”
We can pick apart the Penguins’ season any number of ways. There’s a conversation to be had about the power play’s lack of impact, not enough depth scoring, mistakes made by defensemen and below-the-line contributions from players afforded an opportunity to play.
It’s stuff that’s probably being discussed in every NHL city where their team came up short of the postseason.
What should be more impactful here is the future of the goaltending position, where Jarry last year signed a five-year extension worth an average of $5.375 million per season.
Before hearing Sullivan talk about his two goalies — plus the look in his eye and tone in his voice while doing it — I might’ve thought the Penguins would consider trading Jarry. I’m less convinced of that now.
Perhaps the Penguins have been listening to our lead Penguins beat writer, Matt Vensel, who has been saying that running it back makes the most sense. It’s also possible they’re realizing the value of the tandem trend that has proven successful in the NHL.
Or there’s nowhere else to go that makes more sense.
Either way, and not all that dissimilar to running backs in the NFL, more teams are going with a by-committee approach. It’s been especially prevalent in the Eastern Conference, with teams like the Bruins, Rangers and Islanders benefitting from a two-headed monster between the pipes.
“I think we pushed each other, we competed hard, and we brought the best out of each other,” Nedeljkovic said of Jarry. “He’s a great friend. Nothing that’s gone on in the past couple of weeks or the whole year has changed that.
“I think you need to have a good relationship with your partner, and that’s exactly what we have. So I think [a true tandem] would be great not only for the two of us, but for everybody in the room to have us both back.”
Hearing Jarry’s side of this was also interesting. Jarry was the unquestioned No. 1 for much of the season, until an illness opened the door for Ned. But even earlier this week, when Sullivan went with Nedeljkovic over Jarry in a must-win game against the Predators, it would’ve been fair to question Jarry’s future with the organization.
Not only that, he didn’t play at all down the stretch. Was he upset? Is it something that might worry Jarry going into the offseason? No and no, he insisted on Thursday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
“I obviously signed long-term because I want to be here,” Jarry said. “That was my thought and my goal — to remain a Penguin. That was always my thought from the beginning.”
Jarry said all the right things in his dealings with reporters, three times complimenting Nedeljkovic for helping the Penguins pick up points and explaining that his role at that point became helping and supporting in any way possible.
It’s hard to imagine what else Jarry would say in such a setting, but it may have set the stage for next season. When the Penguins, at least per what was indicated on Thursday, seem intent on running it back between the pipes — motivating and pushing one another, the way it has happened in past years around here.
It might even be a smart move, too.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and @JMackeyPG on X.
First Published: April 18, 2024, 6:13 p.m.
Updated: April 18, 2024, 6:52 p.m.