The Pittsburgh Penguins hit the road on Nov. 29, looking to extend their win streak to two games against the Boston Bruins. In what ended up becoming a goaltender battle between Tristan Jarry and his counterpart, Jeremy Swayman, the Penguins battled back from an early 1-0 hole to beat the Bruins 2-1.
Tomasino Makes the Most of His Opportunity
After being acquired from the Nashville Predators, no one truly knew what to expect from Phillip Tomasino. In the win over the Bruins, the 2019 first-round pick of the Predators was slotted in with Evgeni Malkin and Michael Bunting on the second line and took full advantage of the opportunity to showcase what he can do. Throughout the game, he made his presence felt on the forecheck and got involved heavily in the offensive play, leading all players on the Penguins in shots with seven.
Related: Tristan Jarry Stands Tall in Penguins’ 2-1 Win Over the Bruins
His persistence and all-around play were finally rewarded when he scored the eventual game-winning goal. The play was started thanks to Tomasino causing a turnover in the offensive zone, with Malkin getting the loose puck back to Tomasino, who waited out Swayman to sneak one under his pad for the 2-1 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining in the third period. While it has been a small sample size of two games, if he can get his game on track and look more like what made him a first-round pick back in 2019, it could be a much-welcomed sign for the Penguins.
Jarry Stands Tall in Net
After the start of the 2024-25 season that Jarry has had, many have hoped there would eventually be some glimmer of the goaltender who earned himself a long-term extension in 2023. In the 2-1 win over the Bruins, it did not look promising, with Jarry giving up a goal on the second shot of the game. But after that, he looked more like the goaltender who has earned the praise of many in the past.
After the early goal, Jarry seemed to settle in nicely as the game progressed. There were times when the defense in front of him left him out to dry, but when they did, he stood tall and helped bail his team out. On the flip side, there were times when his defense helped him preserve the lead and eventual win (Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang made huge saves to help Jarry). Overall, the 29-year-old netminder showed plenty of flashes to give fans hope that he might turn the corner, return to his old self, and help right the ship for the Penguins going forward. He made 31 saves on 32 shots to earn his third win of the season.
Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality
In the win, the Penguins threw 36 shots at Swayman, but there were too many times throughout the game where the shots were either from low-danger areas or no traffic to the net to challenge for a rebound. When at their best in the game, the Penguins had traffic in front of Swayman and were challenging the Bruins’ defense to make a play to eliminate further chances. A prime example of this was on Tomasino’s goal, where Drew O’Connor battled out in front of the Bruins’ net to draw attention to himself and create a screen and traffic in front of Swayman. There is a reason that Swayman earned himself the contract he did from the Bruins, and for the most part, the shot selection was not going to be enough to beat a goaltender of his caliber. It was clear that when pestering him, it made a difference.
While it was nice to see the Penguins get their share of shots, to make them count and become high-quality, high-danger chances, there needs to be more traffic and movement to and around the opposing team’s net.
Other Game Notes
- It was a rough night for the third defensive pairing of Jack St. Ivany and Ryan Shea. The pairing struggled early on in the game, getting beat and finding themselves on the wrong end of turnovers and races to pucks.
- Sidney Crosby recorded an assist on the first goal of the game by Rickard Rakell, now tallying a point in seven of his last eight games.
- The Penguins’ penalty kill kept the Bruins off the board all three times they were on the power play. On the other hand, the Penguins’ power play was also held off the board.
What’s Next for the Penguins
The Penguins have a quick turnaround as they return home for a matchup against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 30. They are looking to push their win streak to a season-high of three games.
