It used to be that a result like Tuesday’s would be the type that would get a Penguins goalie skewered in Pittsburgh.
Particularly Tristan Jarry.
Even if he had little to do with the collapse.
The Penguins blew a 2-0 lead in the third period to the New York Islanders and lost 4-2. Kyle Palmieri scored on a breakaway in the early moments of the third after a misplay by Kris Letang off a bad bounce in the offensive zone.
Noah Dobson scored off an initial save following an odd-man rush by the Isles that pushed the Pens back the length of the ice and into Jarry’s kitchen.
Then Pierre Engvall got the game-winner when he leaked ahead in transition, beating Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves down the rink.
Jarry made 34 saves. And it’s not like any of the goals were glaringly his fault. But back before the Penguins fell out of playoff contention, this was one of those classic late-game collapses when a lot of people would’ve looked at the guy in the crease and said, “Well, there’s no rule against making a save you’re not supposed to make” or “Saves are great until you let in the one that costs you game.”
Or some other dimestore pearls of goaltending logic.
The fourth goal was an empty netter. A few months ago, we would’ve found a way to blame Jarry for that too.
But since Jarry has been thrust back into service upon his recall from the AHL, it feels like our collective expectation level has changed when evaluating his performance. He’s been much better, but the team hasn’t been. So, maybe, let’s give the goalie a break on this one.
That’s certainly the stance head coach Mike Sullivan took after the game.
“Solid,” Sullivan said of the goaltending. “I thought (Jarry) was terrific all night long.”
