It is safe to say Tristan Jarry is feeling the pressure on him early in the season from everyone, and it could cost him his job in the Steel City very soon. By now, there is no doubt he has seen all the backlash from fans online and it is getting to him mentally. After allowing six goals in their home opener against the New York Rangers, he had a bit of a bounce-back game against the Montreal Canadiens in a 6-3 win.
On Wednesday night (Oct. 16) against the Buffalo Sabres, Jarry took a big step back as he allowed three goals on five shots. He was yanked just 11:33 into the first period and replaced by Joel Blomqvist, who was stellar in the eventual 6-5 overtime win. He showed why they need to roll with him for a while, at least until Alex Nedeljkovic comes back.
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Over the years, Jarry’s play has been mediocre, to say the least, but his job has been safe as they have not been able to find a true number-one to replace him, until last season. Nedeljkovic took over the starting position for the final games of the season, and was nearly able to help the Penguins get back into the playoffs. With Ned out for a little longer due to injury, they have a 22-year-old goaltender in Blomqvist who has been the backbone in net early in the season.
Penguins’ Players Look to Have More Faith in Blomqvist
From the play of Penguins’ players when Jarry is in goal to the way they play for Blomqvist is entirely different and very noticeable. Some may argue it is because the team knows it is a rookie in net and need to play harder, but I believe it is because they trust Blomqvist more between the pipes, and thus want to help him out more. Just in the game against Buffalo, the tides changed the second Blomqvist came on in relief. Their speed increased immensely, they were playing better defensively, and they just looked as though they had life in them.
This has not been the only instance of this. Going back to the first two games of the season, the team left Jarry out to dry for most of game one, though there were goals that never should have gone in on him. With Blomqvist in net in game two, they were blocking shots left, right, and center. The team could also be doing this because they know he is still young with a ton of potential and do not want to ruin his confidence early, but he has shown time and time again that he is able to come back stronger after a tough outing. Last night he showed that as well after allowing two goals in a 40-second span. His play and confidence did not drop as he trusts his team and his game enough to get back in the game, and they were able to.
The Rookie Outperforming the Veteran Early in the Season
Over the first five games to start the season, not only has Blomqvist had better stats, but his technical play has been far better, which you would not expect from someone who is just in his second season of professional hockey in North America. In three games played, he is 2-1 with his only loss coming against the Toronto Maple Leafs who are one of the best teams in the league. He has posted an incredible .913 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.86 goals-against average (GAA). Jarry on the other hand is 1-1 through three games, not getting a decision in their Oct. 16 meeting as he was pulled and the result going to Blomqvist. He has a .833 SV% and a 5.47 GAA. Granted it is early, but the stats show just part of the story.
Jarry has had a number of bad goals given up. Most recently, the first goal on the first shot against the Sabres was due to a terrible mishandling of the puck behind the net. He looked as though he was unsure of what he wanted to do, and turned the puck over leading to Tage Thompson getting on the board just 43 seconds into the game. On just their second shot, the Sabres put up another bad goal and Jordan Greenway (a left-handed shooter) was in tight on the left-hand side of the net. Just three feet out, he shot it low glove on Jarry and somehow got it past him. It could have been the most simple save for Jarry to make, but was off angle instead for possibly the weakest goal he has given up this season. That seems to be the case with Jarry when I talk about technicality. He always seems off-angle.
Blomqvist has had fewer instances of being off angle leading to easy goals. However, he did have one slip-up of a bad angle goal due to him cheating off the post enough for JJ Peterka to roof it over his left shoulder. Though he did give up that one weak goal, his basic technical skills were still on point for the rest of the game. He had a strong showing coming off the bench, stopping the first 14 shots he faced. His puck-playing skills are much stronger than Jarry’s as he is quicker with making decisions. There will be times he makes a few mistakes, but that is still due to being a rookie and learning the game at such a high level.
With the early struggles of Jarry and the strong play Blomqvist is showing, it is hard to not see why many fans are calling for head coach Mike Sullivan to leave Blomqvist in the net. He makes unreal saves, has strong poise in the net, and is just all-around a better goalie right now. If Sullivan and general manager Kyle Dubas do want to make a push for the playoffs, they will have to make this not-so-difficult decision as they are quickly losing the trust of their fanbase by not sticking with the hot hand. At this point, Blomqvist gives the team a better chance of winning and they need to stick with him for now.
