If you didn’t stay up and watch the game last night between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks, I don’t blame you, these west coast swings are tough. However, you missed a heck of a game by the Penguins in one of the very few times we’ve been able to say that this season.
The Penguins blanked Anaheim, who was coming into last night on a six game winning streak. Pittsburgh played a 60 minute effort against a Ducks team that beat them last week on a shorthanded goal with 11 seconds left in regulation.
It was a massive win, one that shows what this team is capable of. It was also incredibly important to build off their 10-2 win against San Jose. Sure, that win is great, but the Sharks aren’t the most competitive team this year (although they did beat Philly last night). Anaheim, however, is. At least for now.
Now, of course, the focus for the team turns to goaltender Tristan Jarry, who left at the tail end of the second period after a collision with Anaheim’s Adam Henrique. While skating in front of the net (but not in the crease), Henrique collides into the head of Jarry. Jarry’s head snaps back, knocking his mask loose, and at the same time, a puck hits him up high as his mask is hanging on my a thread.
Jarry immediately turned and skated to the bench after still making the save. He had a cut over his eye, which was the immediate concern as the training staff rushed to greet him, and a worried Magnus Hellberg watched him walk past to the dressing room.
Moving forward, however, there are also concerns about a potential concussion for Jarry. His head snaps back pretty harshly, and even though he was able to get back to the Penguins’ bench under his own power, that’s still something to take a look at.
At the time of this publishing, there has been no status update on Jarry other than the one head coach Mike Sullivan provided after the game, but that was just to say he is being evaluated.
In relief for him, however, Magnus Hellberg stepped up and delivered a big time performance to preserve the shutout that Jarry had kicked off.
The 6′ 6 netminder went a perfecrt 11/11 in saves for the third period to finish off the fifth win of the season.
For Hellberg, it was a bounce back performance after his first relief performance when he gave up 2 goals to his old team in the Ottawa Senators.
“Obviously, you’re worried about [Jarry], first off. He’s a great friend, he had a really good game as well,” Hellberg said after the game about coming in midway through. “But you don’t have to think that much. You just have to jump in and do your thing.”
Per Penguins PR, last night was just the sixth time in franchise history that two different goaltenders combined for a shutout. It was the first time since over ten years ago on March 26th, 2013, when Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun teamed up to shut out the Montreal Canadiens.
Fleury started that game and played the first two periods, but did not play the third after being involved in a collision with Pittsburgh’s Tyler Kennedy and Montreal’s Brian Gionta. Vokoun finished the game, and stopped 12 shots to go along with Fleury’s 25 saves.
Oddly enough, Sidney Crosby scored in both of these games. He was the lone goal scorer in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win vs Montreal all those years ago, and gave his team the insurance marker with a beautiful empty netter to seal a 2-0 victory.
(Featured photo by Kiyoshi Mio)
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