PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It's the playoff story before the season started. How will Tristan Jarry respond in the post-season?
The question now is, will he be able to play?
Mike Sullivan announced after practice on Friday that Tristan Jarry is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and won't travel to the game in Boston on Saturday afternoon.
Jarry is sixth in the NHL with 34 wins and eighth in goals against average (2.42) and save percentage (.919). He is also tied with Marc-Andre Fleury, Frederik Anderson and Igor Shesterkin with four shutouts this season.
It would appear Jarry was injured when Andres Lee went into his leg in the third period. The 26-year-old would stay in the game, but for now it's unknown when he will get back.
"We have full confidence in Casey," Sullivan said. "His game as really evolved over the course of the season. Since the turn of the calendar year he's put really solid hockey together for us. He's given us a chance to win each and every night. He's a real good goalie. We have the utmost confidence in him."
"Trying to play my game, keeping things simple," DeSmith said. "I've been doing good work on the ice trying to work on cleaning up areas of my game that I thought could improve. Gaining confidence too, that is always key for any player, any goalie."
It was such a shaky start there was early call for the team to trade for a different back-up goalie. DeSmith started the season 0-3, giving up 17 goals in his first four games. Since then there has been only three games where he has given up more than three goals, including his last start against the Islanders on Tuesday.
"Happy to get back on the right foot and build confidence back," DeSmith said. "Ancient history, I haven't thought about the first four games of the season in a while."
Overall DeSmith is 8-4 in 19 starts with a 2.94 goals against average and .906 save percentage with a pair of shutouts.
"He's been playing great and we have tons of confidence in him," said forward Danton Heinen. "I know lately he's been really good for us. Even in practice we shoot on him a lot and he's not easy to score on."
Sullivan said he expects Louis Domingue to be called up. He's only ever played one game with the Pens, but it was spectacular. Stopping 40 of 41 shots in a win against San Jose. The 30-year-old has played in 141 career NHL games with a .905 save percentage and 3.04 goals against average.
