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During the last two season in juniors, Tristan Jarry played in 118 games – a healthy dose of action for a goaltender.
This season, Jarry’s workload likely won’t be as heavy while backing up Matt Murray, but head coach Mike Sullivan said his rookie netminder will get his first AHL game soon.
Sullivan wasn’t specific if that meant Jarry would get a start this weekend, but he knows his rookie netminder can’t sit for too long.
“I don’t want any of our guys sitting for too long, especially a backup goaltender position,” Sullivan said. “We want to get him in some games so he has the opportunity to develop, but also it’s a long season and we’re going to need two guys.”
To make sure he’s ready for his first start, Jarry has been putting an extra emphasis on practice. He frequently is one of the last players off the ice at the Toyota Sportsplex to face as many shots as his teammates are willing to fire on net.
“I want to work hard in practice and earn time in net,” Jarry said. “Practice is where you build your habits, and a key for me is to practice every day like I would in a game.”
While Jarry watched the Penguins first two games of the season from the bench, he used the time to study the play at the AHL level. Plays happen quicker and shots are a lot harder, he said, and Jarry has taken that experience and applied it to practice.
“It isn’t like junior. You have to be set a lot faster and quicker in your movements,” he said. “You have to make the adjustments in practice so you can make the stops in games.”
Then there’s the mental adjustment. For a player not accustomed to sitting, Jarry uses his teammates in practice to keep him mentally sharp.
“I’m always game ready,” Jarry said. “Every practice I push the guys to try to score on me, and that makes me better. It pushes me, and that’s one of the biggest things.”
NOTEBOOK
– Winger Bryan Rust didn’t practice and was recalled to Pittsburgh later on Thursday. Pittsburgh sent down defenseman Tim Erixon on Thursday as well.
– With Rust gone to Pittsburgh, Sullivan experimented with a few new line combinations during practice. He broke up the top line of Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson and Kael Mouillierat and moved Tom Sestito to a line with Jean-Sebastien Dea and Josh Archibald. Sheary was switched to a line with Matia Marcantuoni and Carter Rowney while Dominik Simon was moved up with Wilson and Mouillierat.
“My observation of the first weekend we had one line that was a consistent offensive threat, but I think we need to create more from others,” Sullivan said. “If you’re a one-line team you’re easier to play against than a team that has balance. Hopefully there will be a spark and chemistry and maybe we can stumble on something.”
– Regarding Sestito, Sullivan hopes the 6-foot-5 winger can create some space and make plays for his speedy linemates. “Tommy for a big man has decent hands. He’s hard to handle in front of the net,” Sullivan said. “We want him to play a north-south game that is part of his identity. When he gets underneath the hash marks in the offensive zone, he can make a play.”
– On the injury front, Barry Goers is dealing with a lower body injury and sat out practice in Thursday. Sullivan said the move was more of a precaution and the injury shouldn’t be anything long-term. Tyler Biggs didn’t practice either, but Sullivan said he’s making progress.