Three goaltenders were present for the session when the Pittsburgh Penguins took to the ice for practice Sunday.
The team recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from his conditioning loan in the AHL on Saturday and he joined the team for practice.
Speaking to reporters, Jarry said that he and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke about the move prior to being sent down. Now he is hoping that he can get a much-needed reset.
“We just thought it would be a good idea just for me to be able to go down there and play some games consecutively, just with having three goalies here,” Jarry told Wes Crosby of NHL.com. “I think it really helped me.”
In five games in the AHL, Jarry went 4-1-0 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
While the move was a tough one for Jarry, the Penguins needed to see if they could get him back on track after opening the season with a 1-1 record a 5.47 goals-against average and a .836 save percentage in three NHL games.
Now, the Penguins will have some decisions to make with Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist, who are also up in the NHL. Nedeljkovic has had his struggles, going 2-3-2 with a 3.07 GAA and .883 save percentage, while the 22-year-old Blomqvist is 3-4-0 with a 3.25 GAA and .913 save percentage as a rookie.
“I think, at the end of the day, that will eventually play itself out,” head coach Mike Sullivan said about having three goalies on the roster. “In the short term, we feel like we have three capable guys. I think ‘Blommer’ has played extremely well. I think ‘Ned’ has played solid also. Jars, obviously, has a body of work here that we’re well aware of.
“We’ll put together a game plan where we keep these guys all in the mix. I think one of the potential benefits of it is one of them will have the opportunity to get quality practice time, if that particular goalie isn’t backing up, for example.”
Jarry is in the second year of his five-year $26.875 million deal. During his nine years in the league, he has made two all-star appearances and owns a 137-86-25 with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 260 career games played.
