PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Coming off allowing a couple of tough goals Sunday, Pens goalie Tristan Jarry didn't try to change anything. Rather reverted back to the basics, that mindset helped him stop 37 shots in a 2-1 Pens win Tuesday night.
"I was just trying to keep it simple," Jarry said. "Just trying to get better than I was last game. That was something I wanted to improve is just be better tonight. I think that was an easy thing to do for me."
Jarry would further explain.
"I was just playing it as it lied," Jarry said in a golf reference. "That was a big thing for me, just stopping every puck that came at me. Trying to put my best foot forward and get in the way of it. I think that's all I could do and that's what I'm trying to do every night."
"Jars is a gamer," said forward Bryan Rust. "Comes to the rink and works hard, learns from the past and moves on. Jars is an unbelievable goalie. He showed it time-and-time again this year, last year. He was obviously great tonight too."
Jarry made all 12 saves to start the game, allowed a goal on a nice backhand by Josh Bailey in the second period and stopped all 10 shots in the third. That included a 6 –on-4 for the last 1:30 of the game.
"He was so solid for us all game long, not just down the stretch," said defenseman Mike Matheson. "He was making big save after big save. That's the Tristan Jarry we all know and love and it's great to see that."
"That's what we expect from him."
"I thought Tristan had a great game," said head coach Mike Sullivan. "He's done that for us for most this year. He's been a big part of the success that this team has enjoyed to this point."
"Our players, our coaching staff, our management team have the ultimate faith in Tristan. He's a terrific goaltender. He's showed it time-and-time again. There was no doubt in my mind that he would come back and have a solid effort. That's what he did for us tonight."
The crowd of around 9,000, that seemed like 90,000 at times was behind Jarry from the start and then again after he skated out post-game as the number one star for his first playoff victory.
"It's awesome," Jarry said. "It's exciting. It's exciting to hear that and you know how passionate our fans are. How much they got into the game. I think that's awesome. We love to see it. We love when they are behind us like that."
They may not have always been behind him, but that first post-season victory they sure were. He'll get at least one more chance in front of the home fans on Monday, thanks to another bounce-back performance.
