Madden Monday: After Tristan Jarry's injury, Penguins are 'hitting the trifecta of doom'

Many Penguins fans had talked themselves into a state of optimism regarding their team’s playoff chances during the regular season.

And much of that hope was built on the premise that goaltender Tristan Jarry’s All-Star-worthy regular season was proof he had rebounded from his awful playoff series against the New York Islanders a year ago and, as a result, his trip through the playoffs this year would be different.

Now Jarry is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and may not be healthy quickly enough to fulfill that potential. If he can’t, then it’s up to his backup Casey DeSmith. It would be awfully disingenuous for Penguins fans to have pinned so much of their belief in the club on a refocused Jarry, only to see him injured, while advancing the argument of, “It’s OK. DeSmith will be just as good.”

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE refused to push that narrative.

“I’m not saying that they couldn’t win a playoff series with Casey DeSmith, but I’d bet against it,” Madden said. “He’s Kenny the Kangaroo. ‘You must be taller than…’ And boy the playoffs sure are the big kids’ rides, aren’t they? I don’t think Casey DeSmith is a bad goalie. He’s just a small goalie. And too small.”

DeSmith is listed — and perhaps a bit generously — at 6-foot, 181 pounds. DeSmith has started 20 games. He is 8-5-5. His 2.89 goals-against average would put him at 29th in the league among qualified starters. His .907 save percentage has him in a tie for 49th.

On Saturday, DeSmith and the Penguins lost to the Boston Bruins 2-1. He allowed two goals in the first 2:01. In both cases, he allowed a lot of empty net on rebound chances after making initial saves. From there, though, he stopped 27 shots in a row to close out the game.

According to Madden, that defeat against the Boston Bruins Saturday is a microcosm of what Penguins fans should expect from DeSmith if he were to become a full-time starter in the postseason.

“I think he is OK,” Madden continued. “But I will say that loss in Boston on Saturday, that was one of those deals where it proved that the great saves don’t take the bad goals out of the net. He made some great saves in that game, but I would say both of those two goals were kind of shaky. And they lost 2-1. And a loss is a loss is a loss. And Casey DeSmith lost that game.”

Unfortunately for the Penguins, it’s not just goaltending that is falling into question. They have now lost nine times in their last 13 outings. And their last win against one of the eight Eastern Conference playoff-bound teams occurred back on March 13 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Since then, they have dropped five such contests in a row.

“The Penguins are hitting the trifecta of doom,” Madden said. “Their goaltender is hurt. They are playing worse. And they are an older team. Nothing about the way things are going indicates they could rally and win a playoff series.”

Also in the podcast, Madden and I discuss some of those other problems facing the Penguins and what might become of them if they lose in the first round of the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Plus, we dive into some Steelers quarterback options, discussion about the decent start to 2022 for the Pirates, and the contracts for Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the Penguins’ playoff chances, Steelers and Pirates