Penguins’ Tristan Jarry: confidence unshaken, vows ‘I will be better next year’

Neither Tristan Jarry nor Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan would say if Jarry has been assured he will be the team’s No. 1 goalie when next season begins.

But Jarry did vow his much-criticized showing during the playoffs has been put behind him.

“I think that will make me a better person and a better player,” Jarry said during a video conference call with media two days after the Penguins’ season ended with a first-round series loss to the New York Islanders. “It’s something that will push you to be better.

“And I will be better next year.”

Speaking after a postseason during which he was statistically among the worst of any of the NHL’s starting goalies, Jarry insisted his confidence isn’t shaken.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I played a lot of good hockey this year. I played a lot of games. I went through a lot of learning and teaching moments.”

Among goalies with more than two starts this postseason, Jarry has the worst save percentage and second-worst GAA.

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Over Jarry’s final 30 regular-season starts, he allowed more than three goals just five times. He allowed two or fewer in 17 of them.

Jarry acknowledged his play over the first month of the condensed season was “rough.”

“But I was able to pick it up and play a lot of good hockey.”

Between Feb. 18 and April 25, Jarry was 18-3-2 with a .924 save percentage.

But that became a distant memory by the time the Penguins’ brief playoff run ended, in no small part, because of Jarry. Among goalies with more than two starts this postseason, Jarry has the worst save percentage and second-worst GAA.

“Obviously, it didn’t go the way I wanted,” Jarry said, “and it’s just learning from it and getting better.

“That was my first time playing postseason games consecutively. Learning from that and the goals I let in and learning from the mistakes, I had I think will make me a better person and goalie. Those experiences are something I’ll reflect on over the summer and come back better next year from.”

Jarry said he has had some veteran and former NHL goalies reach out with words of encouragement or advice. Jarry’s teammates, too, have publicly supported him and endorsed him as the Penguins goalie in 2021-22.

The Penguins’ new management team of president of hockey operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall might elect to upgrade at goalie over the offseason, perhaps at least by adding a more proven veteran.

“That’s their decision,” Jarry said. “It’s out of my control. There’s nothing I can do about that. It’s up to them. It’s up to management. I think just having a good summer, pushing myself and just coming back as the best version of myself is all I can do.”

Keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.