May 26, 2021. Game 6 of the Penguins’ First Round series versus the Islanders. The Pens trail, 3 games to 2, due in no small part to Tristan Jarry’s dead-fish giveaway to Josh Bailey during the first minute of the second overtime in Game 5.
Jeff Carter staked the Pens to an early lead in the must-win game. In a harbinger of things to come, Anthony Beauvillier tied it for the Isles five minutes later. Unfazed, the Pens retake the lead on a power-play goal by Jake Guentzel. Again, the Isles draw even on a Kyle Palmieri tally, this one 73 seconds after we score.
The Pens grab the lead a third time on Jason Zucker’s early second-period marker. Our lead 3-2 lead holds up for seven minutes, but it’s precarious. Jarry’s clearly fighting himself and the puck.
Then the inevitable occurs. The Isles strike twice within 13 seconds to take a lead they never relinquish. As Jarry proceeds to dissolve, Brock Nelson pounds home the final exclamation-point goal less than three minutes later.
Mike Sullivan calls timeout to settle his young goalie, who’s visibly shaken. The Isles don’t score again, but they don’t need to. The damage is done.
Fast forward to March 2, 2024. The Pens are up 3-1 on the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome with less than 10 minutes to play. They’re in complete command. Then Jarry allows a pair of rapid-fire goals 32 seconds apart to Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman.
Tie game.
With overtime looming, Jarry yields the game-winner to Yegor Sharangovich with 50 seconds left in regulation. Snatching defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
Following losses in six of his next eight starts, Jarry lost his starting job to Alex Nedeljkovic. The Pens promptly went on an 8-3-2 tear to close out the season.
Our last two games, twin come-from-in-front defeats in which Jarry allowed three goals on only 17 shots are only the latest, and perhaps last, examples of a career pockmarked with uneven performances. Ones in which Jarry consistently allowed the goals you don’t want to give up, precisely when you didn’t want to allow them. Painting a picture of a mentally fragile goalie with a penchant for melting down at crunch time.
The stinging back-to-back losses to the Lightning and Kraken apparently were the last straw. Pens GM Kyle Dubas, who signed Jarry to a controversial five-year deal in the summer of 2023, placed the struggling goalie on waivers this afternoon.
If Jarry clears, entirely likely given his burgeoning $5.375 million cap hit and onerous contract term, he can and, in all likelihood, will be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he served a 14-game “conditioning” assignment following a disastrous start to the season.
It’s a long way to fall for a once promising second-round pick who won a Memorial Cup in junior and garnered two NHL all-star game selections, not to mention Vezina Trophy votes in two separate seasons. As recently as last season, Jarry still flashed that potential, tying for the league lead with six shutouts in what most observers considered a down season.
So what went wrong?
To my admittedly untrained eye, Jarry doesn’t appear to be moving as well as he once did. He doesn’t seem to be challenging shooters as often, and once he goes to his knees he’s virtually anchored to the ice.
The reasons why are anyone’s guess. For one, he appears to have lost his mojo. I know only too well on a personal level how debilitating a lack of confidence can be. For an NHL goalie, where a split-second delay in reaction can be the difference between a sparkling save and a red light flashing behind you, it must be a virtual death sentence.
Perhaps there’s an underlying physical condition. A couple of seasons ago, Jarry was rumored to have a chronic hip ailment, which might explain the perceived loss of athleticism and cat-like quickness that once were hallmarks.
The normal wear and tear of tending goal for parts of nine seasons in the NHL?
Playing behind the Pens’ less-than-stellar team defense?
All of the above? None of the above?
One thing is sure. Barring a miracle bounce-back, today’s move effectively ends the black-and-gold portion of his career.
Whatever his issues, I wish Tristan all the best in his future assignments.
