I’m not gonna lie. When I discovered Penguins coach And Muse had mentioned Tristan Jarry as a starter for last night’s home opener against the Islanders, I wasn’t exactly excited. I texted PP colleague Caleb DiNatale with the unwelcome news, adding: “I’ll be stunned if he concedes fewer than three goals.”
Well, I got that part right. Indeed, Jarry netted three goals for the visitors from Long Island, including a potential soul-breaker for the 25-year-old Russian rookie Maxim Shabonov with 41 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-3.
Even when the Pens regained the lead with 5:39 left in the third period on a fantastic Monster Line goal, I wondered if Jarry could hold on.
Then I watched in amazement as the much-maligned goalkeeper turned into a veritable fortress, stopping and converting seven shots in the final four minutes. Three from the stick Matt Barzalincluding one on a last-ditch short-handed stab by the Isles star with three seconds left.
It wasn’t just the fact that Jarry made the saves, but the way he made them that impressed me. Usually under extreme duress. Yet he tracked the puck beautifully and through heavy traffic, all the while allowing very few rebounds. The puck stuck to him as if it were made of Velcro instead of vulcanized rubber.
It was perhaps his finest hour in a Penguins uniform. He was, in a word, gorgeous.
How we got there
The Pens struck first on the power play at 3:23 of the opening period. Evgeni Malkin set up Rickard Rakell left of the islands net with a sharp, cross-shaped pass. Ilya Sorokin made the first save and blunted a second-chance attempt by Rakell, but could not control the rebound. After Sidney Crosby After ripping it, Geno jumped on the loose rubber and threw a backhander past the beleaguered Isles goalkeeper.
However, after a delay in play, a penalty is imposed Noel Acciarithe visitors seized the momentum and scored a 2-1 after goals Jonathan Drouin from the high end just past the 12 minute mark and Kyle Palmieri asked the rush in the second.
Cue Harrison Brunicke. Ninety-seven seconds after Palmieri’s count, the rookie defender strode through a table setter Philip Hallander and lasered the puck past Sorokin, glove side.
Nice goal.
Then followed a gritty goal, from none other than our captain, Sidney Crosby. After camping in the slot on a 4-on-3, Sid braced himself by dropping to one knee while offering his stick knife as a target for Malkin. Geno made a perfect bank shot in the cushion, and suddenly the Pens were up 3-2.
Unfortunately, Shabanov scored the rush after a turnover in the neutral zone in the final minute of the period by dumping a bucket of ice water on the play.
The third period was a ton of fun to watch as the Metro rivals engaged in good, old-fashioned fire truck hockey. Then came the Pens’ go-ahead. Really something beautiful.
Caleb Jones set the play in motion by tucking a loose puck into our right circle and sending it away from an advancing Palmieri. Jones alertly backhanded the puck onto the boards Anthony became afraidwho pushed it to Malkin.
Geno was immediately noticed Justin Brazeau He broke towards the Islanders’ zone and bounced a perfect lead pass to him from the side boards. The big man briefly lost control of the puck, then coolly kicked it to his stick and beat Sorokin with a silky forehand to backhand move.
Shades of his game-winner against the Rangers on Tuesday night. The stage for Jarry’s exploits.
Puckpourri
It was an extremely entertaining game, with more momentum shifts than you could shake a proverbial (hockey) stick at. The Islanders had a decisive edge in shot attempts (69-56), shots on goal (37-28) and faceoffs (58.2 percent).
FYI: These are not from your father (or by Lou Lamoriello) Islanders. They are traditionally a heavy, counterpunching team, but are more skilled and much faster, generating a lot of offense on the rush.
Geno sparked our offense with a goal and two helpers to earn top stars. Sid had a goal and an assist, Rakell two apples.
Hållander dressed instead of Philip Tomasino and collected his first NHL point. After starting the game on the third line, he flipped with Ville Koivunenon the right wing next to Sid. The move reunited Koivunen with Ben Kindel. The duo showed great chemistry during the preseason.
Tommy Novak also took his first point as a penguin. For the first time he caught my attention. He has size, can skate and is clearly quite skilled. I was (pleasantly) surprised when I saw that he also delivered a solid body check. (No one has asked me, but I wonder if he might be a good fit on Sid’s wing.)
I thought Jones had a really nice defensive game, quietly effective. The stats back up the eye test (57.89 Corsi and a team-best 78.44 expected goals percentage). The winning goal was a direct result of his heads-up play.
Jarry stopped 34 of 37 shots for a .919 save percentage. As fantastic as he was in the dying minutes, and I must be clear, without him we wouldn’t have won the game, the first two goals he conceded weren’t exactly the highlight. He remains just like the little girl with the curls. When he’s good, he’s very good, and when he’s bad… I’ll let you fill in the rest.
I like the way the team is playing under Muse. We have so much more energy and juice. Everyone from the newbies to the vets look like they are having fun. A night and day difference from previous seasons, when stale was the key word.
Talk about romping, my goodness Erik Karlsson a start to the season! He just takes over and makes it all look so fluid and effortless. All mounting bolts placed on him during the previous regime appear to have been removed. (Mike, if you’re reading this, you were spot on. Thank goodness we didn’t trade him.)
I’m still not sure I understand the love affair with Acciari. While I appreciate his courage and willingness to sacrifice, I wonder if he can really contribute at this stage. Reminds me a bit of the contemporary version of Craig Adamsright down to the team’s desire to play him.
Not that I’m against ‘Cookie’, but I am with it Bryan Rust ready to return, maybe he will be the one to sit down.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it Mario Lemieux and wife Nathalie were present last night. Great to see the big man in the building looking fit at 60!
Don’t look now, but the Pens have won seven in a row under Muse.
This will be followed by a return match with Mike Sullivan’s Rangers on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.
Oh, I loved the new gold unis. Whether intended or not, the stripes on the sleeves are an ode to our original jerseys from 1967.
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