Tristan Jarry Being Evaluated Back in Pittsburgh

After Tristan Jarry was slow to get up following a save in the first period of the Winter Classic on Monday at Fenway Park in Boston, at first, he was going to try and play through it.
"It was kind of up in the air for a second there," Casey DeSmith said. "Then the more I was watching him, I was like, there's no way he's going to stay in."

But DeSmith didn't know that for sure, so he tried getting ready without putting too much pressure on his goalie partner.
"I stood up - trying to maybe get a little bit warm, get the blood flowing a little bit - but not like put my gear on," DeSmith said. "I didn't know exactly what he was thinking. So I just kind of kept my hat on and waited."
During the final TV timeout of the period, Jarry skated to the bench and spoke with the Penguins training staff. From there, he left the game accompanied by head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, and did not return.
The team traveled to Vegas on Tuesday, and after practice on Wednesday, Mike Sullivan said that Jarry had returned to Pittsburgh and is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. That means DeSmith will likely step into the starter's role for the rest of this trip, with games on Thursday against the Golden Knights, and Sunday against Arizona.
"Looking back on some past years, I feel like I've played my best hockey, or at least some of my best hockey, when I've been in this position before," DeSmith said. "So that definitely adds a layer of confidence."

Like the end of last year, for example. With Jarry sidelined after breaking his foot, DeSmith performed well in that final stretch of games leading into the playoffs. He made 52 saves in his third shutout of the season on April 21 vs. Boston, which are the most by a goaltender in Penguins history.
This season, he's struggled to gain some traction for a number of different reasons, including an impressive 14-game unbeaten streak Jarry put together that kept DeSmith from getting consistent play as the Penguins played the hot hand. So he's hoping that more reps will help in that regard.
"I think (being the starter) is a little easier, honestly. I think you get into the flow of things," DeSmith said. "More game action makes you more comfortable. You can start to build on game after game. So, I think there's a lot of good aspects to it. Obviously, it's a heavier workload. But that's something I feel confident that I can handle."
He'll be partnering with veteran Dustin Tokarski for the time being. The 33-year-old netminder joined the team in Vegas after getting called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he's gone 8-6-4 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 18 games during his second stint with that team.
"I'm excited to have Ticker here," said DeSmith, who played alongside him in WBS during the 2019-20 campaign. "We had a really good relationship in Wilkes and we'll keep it going here. So he's a great guy to have as a goalie partner.

Last year, Tokarski appeared in 29 games with Buffalo. Overall, he's got 76 games of NHL experience over parts of eight seasons split between Tampa Bay, Montreal, Anaheim and the Sabres.
"Dustin, he brings a lot of experience. He's got a significant amount of time in the NHL," Sullivan said. "I think his experience level as that third goalie is invaluable for us for this very situation. So we feel confident that he's a guy that we know we can put in the net, and he's going to give us a chance to win."
OTHER PRACTICE UPDATES:
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson had a maintenance day, while blueliner Kris Letang remains with his family following the death of his father. He missed the last game after going home to Montreal, and before that, he'd been sidelined for the loss to New Jersey on Dec. 30 with a lower-body injury.
Defenseman Jeff Petry, who's missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury, is on the road with the team and skated after their practice.
Like Jarry, forward Josh Archibald returned to Pittsburgh. He's missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, and is currently rehabbing.
Forward Ryan Poehling missed three games with an upper-body injury, returned for the matchup with the Devils, then was sidelined again for the Winter Classic. He practiced with the team, but since he's listed as day-to-day, Sullivan couldn't confirm Poehling's availability for tomorrow night.
Here are the lines the Penguins used…
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Rakell
Heinen-Carter-Kapanen
Poehling-Blueger-McGinn
O'Connor
The defensemen rotated. Pittsburgh used seven blueliners for their 3-2 loss to Boston, dressing Pettersson, Jan Rutta, Brian Dumoulin, Ty Smith, P.O Joseph, Mark Friedman and Chad Ruhwedel.