ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Penguins earned another win Tuesday in California. But they lost their starting goalie while defeating the Anaheim Ducks 2-0.
Tristan Jarry was winning a goalie duel with John Gibson when he was injured late in the second period in a collision with Adam Henrique. The Ducks forward was skating in front of Jarry’s crease when his hip collided with the head of Jarry, who was lunging to attempt to make a save on a shot from the slot.
It did not appear Henrique, who was tangled up with Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves as he drove the net, intended to make contact with the goalie.
Jarry’s head snapped back and to the left. As that happened, the initial shot from Ryan Strome might have hit him up high, as well. Jarry immediately crumpled to the ice, inadvertently stopping Henrique’s rebound try in the process.
Tristan Jarry has gone to the dressing room following this collision with Adam Henrique. pic.twitter.com/KalVNDaVYF
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 8, 2023
Jarry headed right to the dressing room, blood trickling down his face after he was cut by something near his right eye, and didn’t return. He had made 21 saves and was chasing his third shutout of the season when he exited the game.
All coach Mike Sullivan said after the win was Jarry was still being evaluated.
Magnus Hellberg, who started this season as the third-string goalie, replaced Jarry with 1:36 left in the second and backstopped his new team to the win.
“Obviously, you’re worried about [Jarry], first off. He’s a great friend. He had a really good game, as well,” he said. “But you don’t have to think that much. You just have to jump in and do your thing. I’m really happy we pulled out the win.”
Hellberg last played 11 days ago, when he relieved Jarry in a loss to Ottawa. His last start came Oct. 13 at the American Hockey League level. Hellberg credited Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo for keeping him sharp at recent practices.
Hellberg, a journeyman who previously stopped pucks in Russia and China, said he will be ready if the Penguins need him to be the No. 1 for a while.
“Oh yeah, I’m obviously playing hockey to play in games,” the big Swede grinned. “So, of course, if they tell me to keep playing here, I’m up for it, for sure.”
Hellberg made 11 saves in the third period at Honda Center as the Penguins held on, snapping the Ducks’ six-game winning streak. One of those wins came Oct. 30 in Pittsburgh, when the Penguins gave up a late short-handed goal.
Tuesday night, Anaheim’s arena got louder and louder and louder as the Ducks pushed hard in the game’s final 10 minutes. The closest call for the Penguins came when Troy Terry rang one of the posts behind Hellberg with 8:48 to go.
It was their second straight victory. On Saturday, they won, 10-2, in San Jose.
Honda Center had a decidedly SoCal vibe Tuesday, with cheerleaders constantly dancing on the scoreboard, duck calls quacking in the cheap seats, and the smell of marijuana wafting through the arena when the puck first dropped.
Perhaps then it was no coincidence that the first period was pretty mellow down on the ice. The teams combined for just three high-danger chances, per Sportlogiq. The Penguins took a 1-0 lead when Gibson, the Whitehall native, watched Radim Zohorna’s centering pass hit his pad and trickle over the line.
That crazy carom early in the game ended up being the game-winning goal.
“It might have been a lucky bounce,” Drew O’Connor said. “But with the amount of chances that he’s generating, some of those are going to go in for him.”
The third line has scored in four of seven games since Zohorna was recalled from the minors and put on that line. Three of the goals belonged to Zohorna.
Gibson made a few excellent saves as the Penguins pushed for more goals in the second period. That led to a few anxious moments in the third. But they were able to keep the Ducks from pulling off another third-period comeback.
“What I loved about our third period is I just thought that we competed hard,” Sullivan said. “We defended well. We had numbers back. We were above the puck. We made good decisions with the puck in the critical areas of the rink. And we dug in. I think it’s a good win for our team in a low-scoring game like that.”
Sidney Crosby scored an empty-netter left to seal the win. It was a thing of beauty. He flipped a backhand from center ice that nearly landed inside the net.
Moments later, inside the victorious visitors’ dressing room, the Penguins cheered as Crosby handed the team’s player of the game helmet to Hellberg.
“I think it’s terrific,” Sullivan said. “[Hellberg] is such a great guy. He works hard. He brings so much positive energy to our team. And when he comes in like that, makes a couple of timely saves for us, everybody gets pumped up for him.”
ICE CHIPS
• Backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic and defenseman John Ludvig did not travel with the team to California. But the two players have resumed hockey activities back in Pittsburgh as they work their way back from their injuries. Nedeljkovic, who is on long-term injured reserve, isn’t eligible to return until Nov. 19.
• Crosby went to the dressing room during the first period and was skipped over for shifts on multiple occasions in the first half of the game. Sullivan said it was an equipment issue. Crosby’s skates have been giving him fits all season.
• Pierre-Olivier Joseph was back to being a healthy scratch after struggling in the San Jose win. He has watched six out of the team’s last seven games. Chad Ruhwedel took his spot on the blue line, partnering with Ryan Shea.
• Jeff Carter was also a healthy scratch, sitting out his second straight game.
• Kris Letang, who assisted on Crosby’s late goal, is now two points away from 700 for his NHL career. If Letang reaches that milestone, he would become the 10th defenseman in league history to pull off that feat with one franchise.
STAT N’AT
5 – The shutout was the fifth shared by two goalies in Penguins regular season history, per unofficial team historian Bob Grove. The last one came in 2013 when Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun combined to blank Montreal.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s really difficult,” Crosby said of Hellberg. “[Jarry] was doing a great job, and it was kind of a weird thing that happened. And he comes in in a tight game with a lot of pressure. I thought he handled it well and made some key saves.”
COMING UP
The Penguins will practice Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. The three-game California trip concludes Thursday with a matchup against the Kings.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel
First Published: November 8, 2023, 5:50 a.m.
Updated: November 8, 2023, 3:55 p.m.