PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Soft-spoken and seemingly calm after wins or losses, Pens goalie Tristan Jarry had to know what was being said after his struggles in the playoffs. Whether he was scrolling through stories, podcasts, social media, or just knew he didn't play well enough at the end of last season.
He knew eyes would be on him from the drop of the puck Tuesday night.
Jarry rarely spoke during training camp, sheltered by the team to avoid questions to drum up thoughts of the 2021 post-season. Confidence is huge for Jarry, especially to start the season.
The 26-year-old let in a couple of extra-man goals late in the third, but stopped the other 26 shots in the Pens 6-2 win at Tampa Bay.
"I think it's a big win for him," said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. "I thought he played really well. He made a handful of really good saves."
"He was solid all night," said new teammate Danton Heinen. "He looked comfortable early. We have confidence in him. He was great tonight."
Jarry credited his teammates for taking the game to Tampa Bay, especially the first two periods. When the Lightning did play in the Pens zone, there were box-outs and bodies on the ice most of the evening.
"It's awesome," Jarry said. "It makes my job really easy. They are playing hard and blocking shots. You see some of the blocked shots we got from up top. I think that doesn't happen unless they are playing their game and doing everything they can. They did a great job for me."
Even letting in those late goals didn't phase Jarry's head coach.
"No matter how hard you try to defend against Tampa, they have some game breakers," Sullivan said. "They are going to get some chances. I thought we did our best to limit them. They are so talented. They are going to get some chances. When they did, Tristan was there to make some big saves for us."
Jarry said it helped to have exhibition games this season as they had a more normal preseason after hardly any time to prepare in 2020-21. He also said they all drew momentum off some of the new players making an immediate impact and playing the game the right way.
"You see the guys that we had step up with Boyle and Danton coming in," Jarry said. "They got huge goals for us. I think that motivates and brings a big positivity to our bench. I think that helped a lot."
"I think that helped us get the win."
If Jarry gets the start on Thursday. He'll face another team with Stanley Cup aspirations at Florida. He aced the first test, but there are likely 60 more and then a hopeful return to the postseason.
He failed that final miserably last season. Months to go before he gets a re-test.
