The Penguins did what good teammates do after their 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday. They lined up, one by one, on a Zoom call and had Tristan Jarry’s back. The rest of us can point the finger at Jarry as the primary reason for the painful defeat. They did not.
“He’s been great for us all season long,” Cody Ceci said. “He’s stolen us a lot of games. Even tonight, he gave us a chance. There were a few times where they could have ended it. He made some big saves. He’s a key part of our team. We’re not worried about him. He’s a great, great player. He’s going to be there for us next game.”
“Jars is a hell of a goaltender,” Freddy Gaudreau said. “We’ve always had great confidence in him. We know how good he is. Our level of confidence in him will never change.”
“I thought Tristan made some big saves throughout the course of the game,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I just think we have to be better as a group.”
I get all of that.
I’m just not buying it.
Not yet, anyway.
Jarry was the biggest question for the Penguins coming into this first-round series because of his lack of postseason experience with just one playoff start.
That question seems even more troubling after Jarry’s performance Sunday.
Sullivan was right, a few of Jarry’s 37 saves were beauties. He stopped Cal Clutterbuck on a breakaway late in the first period to keep the game 1-1 after Clutterbuck blocked Brian Dumoulin’s pass at the Islanders’ blue line. He had consecutive saves on Josh Bailey and Kyle Palmieri midway through the second period when Jeff Carter was off on a 4-minute high-sticking penalty and then had another on Jean-Gabriel Pageau shorthanded a few moments later to protect the Penguins’ 2-1 lead. He had big saves on Bailey and Pageau late in regulation. He made perhaps his best save on Anthony Beauvillier in overtime after a hideous turnover by Mike Matheson.
But three of the four goals that Jarry allowed were questionable at best. That is not good enough to win a playoff game. It’s not even close to being good enough.
Palmieri turned the corner on Marcus Pettersson and was able to score high on Jarry early in the game when Jarry was deep in his crease. Pageau beat him over his shoulder to tie the game, 2-2, early in the third period on a shot he saw all the way. Palmieri beat him over his left shoulder on the short side to win the game at 16:30 of overtime.
It was a stunning, hurtful ending for Jarry, who had been 8-1-0 against the Islanders, including 6-0-0 at home with a .930 save percentage.
It was equally as stunning and hurtful for the Penguins, who played without banged-up Evgeni Malkin. They were almost unbeatable during the regular season when leading after two periods, going 25-1-1. They have now lost 10 of their past 11 playoff games going back to 2018, including a four-game sweep by the Islanders just two springs ago. That 1-10 record is incredibly hard to believe.
“I know we have more to give,” Sullivan said. “I know we have the ability to be a better team.”
Jarry has shown he has the ability to be a better goaltender. Game 2 Tuesday night would be the perfect time for him to show it again.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter @RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: May 17, 2021, 9:31 a.m.
Updated: May 17, 2021, 10:59 a.m.
