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In the temporarily reconfigured and company-sponsored NHL Eastern Division, there are a handful of teams that still deploy a tough, physical, and deadly element in their games.
The New York Islanders are one of those teams.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are not.
Designed by former general manager Jim Rutherford and maintained until now by his successor, Ron Hextall, the Penguins are still primarily focused on using speed and skill to overcome opposition.
“What’s important is that we understand the type of game we need to play,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “We have to play on our identity. This is the conversation we have with our players, whoever our opponent is. It doesn’t make sense for us to get caught up in someone else’s game. We have to play our game and dictate the conditions there. ”
Of course, you can host any identity that suits you when your goalie is playing like Tristan Jarry recently.
On Thursday, Jarry made 31 saves on 32 shots and led the Penguins to a 4-1 win over the Islanders at PPG Paints Arena.
He arrived five minutes after registering his first shutout of the season and continued a solid streak of plays over the past week.
In his last three games, Jarry has stopped 98 of 105 shots, which equates to a save percentage of .933.
In contrast, in his first seven games of the season, he was only able to deny 150 of the 175 shots he faced, which led to an ugly save percentage of .857.
For Jarry, the key to this improvement was simple.
“Just working on it in practice and making sure my habits are good, I think that’s where it’s coming from,” Jarry said via video conference. “He works hard in training and works hard with (goaltending coach Mike Buckley) and the coaching staff. It helped me put my training habits in order, and it translated into my game.
Another thing that translated well for the Penguins in this game: line changes. More precisely, the right wing is housed on the two upper lines. Kasperi Kapanen was moved to the first row while Bryan Rust hit the second row.
These changes led to three of the Penguins’ goals.
The Penguins won the game’s first goal 4 minutes, 15 seconds into the start of settlement after Kapanen stole a puck into New York’s left circle and quickly chipped a twisted in the cage as it fell. Penguins forward Sidney Crosby skated over the crease and deflected the puck off his stick, past goalie tackle Semyon Varlamov to the near side for his sixth goal of the season.
It became a 2-0 game at the end of the second period at 6:01 PM. A twist from the Islanders left circle by Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson was denied by Varlamov, but a rebound deflected to the right of the crease, where Penguins forward Teddy Blueger cleaned up the trash for his third goal.
An insurance goal was added at 9:11 of the third period. Behind the Islanders’ net, Rust passed a front end pass to Penguins forward Jason Zucker, who pulled a wringer for his fourth goal.
A power play goal from Islanders forward Brock Nelson – his fourth of the season – at 3:39 p.m. of the third interrupted the shutout.
Rust scored his sixth goal from an empty net to top it off at 16:54.
“It’s a good building game for us,” Zucker said. “We just have to keep improving from here on out.”
Jarry already seems to be doing it.
“He’s really making progress,” Sullivan said. “He looks a lot more comfortable in the crease. He challenges the shooter. He follows the puck in traffic. Its rebound control has been improved.
“When your goalie makes saves for your team, it has a positive psychological impact on the group in front of him. Tristan is doing this for us right now.
Seth Rorabaugh is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Seth by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
Categories:
Penguins / NHL | Sports
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