Jarry starts in goal against Flyers
Tristan Jarry got the start Friday night at PPG Paints Arena when the Penguins played host to the Philadelphia Flyers in their first game after the NHL’s All-Star break.
There was intrigue over which goalie coach Mike Sullivan would turn to coming out of the break. Matt Murray has won five starts in a row and was given back-toback games two weekends ago. Jarry then got the final one Jan. 21 before the break, a 3-0 loss against the Flyers, before making his All-Star debut in St. Louis.
Sullivan stuck with Jarry, who, despite a bit of statistical dip in January, still ranked in the top two in the league entering Friday with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. But the coach said the Penguins intend to keep both goalies busy the next couple of months.
“It’s not an instance where if you win, you’re in,” Sullivan said of the decision Friday to start Jarry. “We look at in much more detail than that. We think both goaltenders right now are playing extremely well and we’re going to try to utilize both goaltenders as best we can to keep them sharp and help us win games.”
Murray started 18 of their first 21 games. But for the second consecutive season he struggled in November, creating an opening for Jarry. He took advantage.
From Nov. 16 through Jan. 16, Jarry went 15-4-1 with a .929 save percentage. Murray averaged about one start per week in that two-month span and saw Jarry, who, at 24, is a year younger than him, earn an All-Star invite.
Coming out of the break, it might be closer to a 50-50 split. But Sullivan indicated Friday that the plan could change should Jarry or Murray seize the reins.
“Performance ultimately will always be the dictator,” he said. “That’s the nature of the world [in which we live] in pro sports, pro hockey. But we feel comfortable right now that we’ve got a really strong tandem. We think it’s a competitive advantage for our team and we’re going to try to utilize it as best we can.”
What’s up with Bjugstad?
The Penguins, coming off an eight-day layoff for the players, practiced Thursday in Cranberry then held a morning skate Friday at PPG Paints Arena.
Nick Bjugstad, who had surgery to repair a core-muscle injury more than 10 weeks ago, was not spotted on the ice before either practice. That was noteworthy because he traveled with the team on its West Coast road trip earlier this month and skated on an individual basis most of those days.
So Sullivan was asked Friday if the big center had experienced a setback.
“He hasn’t had a setback, per se,” he said. “I’d rather not get into the details of his progress or his rehab process. … There are always, I think, improvements and plateaus as part of the rehab process, especially when it involves a longer-term injury like Nick’s. And so they’re just going through that process together.”
Bjugstad, who has one point in 10 games, previously played in a game Nov. 15.
Schultz looks ready to go
Justin Schultz, as expected, returned to the lineup Friday against the Flyers. The defenseman had been out since Dec. 17 with a lower-body injury.
With Schultz back in the mix, Juuso Riikola was the odd man out. And Chad Ruhwedel, a righthanded defenseman, moved over to the left side to partner with Schultz.
“I’ve played a little bit on the left,” he said. “Obviously, the right side is more natural because of the amount of reps I’ve taken. But the game is the same.”
Sullivan explained why the Penguins trusted Ruhwedel to play on his off side, even though it’s not something they’ve asked the 29-year-old to do often.
“Chad’s a good player,” he said. “One of the things that we like about Chad’s game is his mobility, for one. I think his skating is one of his assets, which will allow him to play his off side, but his simplicity as well. He understands what he is and plays the game within himself. He’s a real, safe, reliable player for us.”
Angello debuts
Dominik Kahun, who suffered a concussion Jan. 19, skated Friday on an individual basis for a second day in a row. The winger still has not been cleared to play.
That meant that Anthony Angello made his NHL debut Friday and brought something to the lineup that the Penguins don’t have a lot of up front — size.
Angello, a 2014 fifth-round pick, is listed at 6 feet 5 and 210 pounds. Among Penguins players, only Bjugstad and blue-liner Jack Johnson are heavier.
“I just think it adds another dimension to our group of forwards,” Sullivan said.
“He’s a physical player. He can help us on the forecheck. I think he can lean on people, which makes us more difficult to play against. And he’s got a pretty simple, straight-ahead game. … We’re excited to get him in the lineup.”