What I’m hearing about the Penguins in three games

MONTREAL – The Pittsburgh Penguins have had three very different performances in the first three games of the regular season.

Bad game against a good team.

Good game against a mediocre team.

Mediocre game against a good team.

They enter their Canadian Thanksgiving game in Montreal with a 1-2-0 record, and a win on Monday would be pretty significant. The Penguins’ October schedule is brutal, and as long as they can hover around the .500 mark this month, coach Mike Sullivan’s team will be in reasonably good shape come November.

Here are some tidbits I’ve picked up along the way over the last few days, along with a look at some players trending up and others trending down in the first week of the season.

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goalkeeper

It was surprising that Sullivan didn’t return to Tristan Jarry on Saturday in Toronto. Instead, Sullivan played against rookie Joel Blomqvist for the second straight game. The Penguins didn’t win on Saturday, but the rookie rewarded Sullivan’s faith in him. He was one of the best players on the ice for the second year in a row.

So what about Jarry? And what happens when Alex Nedeljkovic returns from injury? And is Blomqvist the real deal?

My understanding is that there is open competition for playing time between the pipes.

Jarry received a five-year contract in 2023, which typically gives a player additional opportunities to excel even if he’s struggling.

That wasn’t the case with Jarry.

He lost his job for the final 13 games of last season – the first season of the new contract – and does not appear to have established himself as the No. 1 goalkeeper at the moment. It took time a game for the fans to direct their anger at Jarry. The 6-0 loss on opening night sparked mock celebrations at PPG Paints Arena and attacks on social media for Jarry. Then came Blomqvist. And the injured Nedeljkovic, the same guy who took Jarry’s job last season, is waiting in the wings.

Life will be a lot easier for the Penguins if Jarry has a standout season, and maybe he will. A bad game is just a game. However, his contract does not guarantee that he will receive the majority of playing time for many reasons.

For one thing, the Penguins didn’t want to give Jarry a five-year contract. But the goaltending market in the summer of 2023 has been terrible, and it’s not like the organization doesn’t like Jarry. He’s a two-time NHL All-Star with clear talent. However, due to his lack of reliability over the years, the organization was unable to grant him five years. Kyle Dubas, general manager and president of hockey operations, wanted the Penguins to be contenders in the 2023-24 season, so he did what he had to do.

In the future, Jarry will get chances to score the goal. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get the call on Monday in Montreal, but Penguins goaltenders have been told that good performances will be rewarded with playing time, regardless of salary.

So the pressure on Jarry is growing rapidly.

Blomqvist hasn’t looked out of place in two NHL games. He is a true NHL prospect and appears ready to leave the AHL. The Penguins need to make room for him sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Nedeljkovic remains a factor. Dubas indicated after last season that Nedeljkovic likely wouldn’t return because he likely would have received more money on the open market than the Penguins could match.

Instead, they signed him to a team-friendly two-year contract. While some of Nedeljkovic’s numbers last season weren’t spectacular, the Penguins had a record of 18-7-7 in his starts last season and a record of 19-25-5 in Jarry’s starts. The numbers of many of the two goalies were comparable, and in fact some of Jarry’s more advanced numbers were better than Nedeljkovic last season. However, coaches are all about winning games and Nedeljkovic blew Jarry away in that regard.

Sullivan showed his hand on Saturday. The Penguins have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and the loss took a toll on Sullivan, whose competitive spirit is his most admirable trait. His message is simple: If you play well, you will play again.

The Penguins want Jarry to be happy, but they are unable to coddle him. He’s almost 30 and his performance in high-pressure moments is unreliable. Evidence of consistency is almost non-existent.

It remains unclear who will be in the starting line-up. The Penguins may not have a regular starter for a while.

A fresh start for Jarry elsewhere seems reasonable, but I don’t know that any team would honor his contract. The Penguins were willing to move him last summer, according to a team source, but other teams showed no interest.

Bottom line: The Penguins value Jarry’s talent and the coaching staff was impressed with Jarry’s summer conditioning program. But that performance against Rangers in the opening game did some serious damage. If Nedeljkovic or Blomqvist gives the Penguins a better chance to win, Jarry won’t be the starter.

Power play

The Penguins have scored on the power play in consecutive games, which is notable.

It’s difficult to gauge the Penguins’ progress in developing power-play chemistry, as Erik Karlsson missed most of training camp and was then sent to a completely unfamiliar position on the left wing, in the spot once famously occupied by Mario Lemieux and Phil Kessel was occupied. Karlsson has the skills needed to succeed in the field, but is quick to point out that he has never played there before.

Sometimes it showed. I don’t think he feels comfortable there. Maybe he will be one day. Or maybe not. It’s fascinating.

The Penguins staff wants Karlsson to essentially shoot at will, which isn’t his first instinct. Let’s see how it works.

Assistant coach David Quinn has told the Penguins’ power play that what he wants most is more speed, a high volume of shots and a swarm towards the net. He wants the Penguins to run downhill toward the opposing goalie. Last season, they backed off on the power play and consistently moved toward the boards on both sides of the ice. It was bizarre. Quinn recognized the problem.

The trend is increasing

• Blomqvist: His numbers were good in the two games, but he was particularly impressive in the eye test. The Red Wings and Maple Leafs drew a lot of attention, and more than once they were thwarted by Blomqvist, whose combination of talent and competitiveness has made him popular in the locker room.

• Evgeny Malkin: He was the Penguins’ best player in three games. The gallop is back.

• Ryan Graves: Yes, he was terrible in the opening game. This also applied to everyone else. Graves has been solid in the last two games. Progress.

Downtrend

• Jarry: Yes.

• Rutger McGroarty: His future is bright, but he has received little attention.

• Cody Glass: Way, way too quiet.

The coming week

• Monday: Penguins in Montreal, 7:30 p.m

• Wednesday: Buffalo at Penguins, 7 p.m

• Friday: Carolina at Penguins, 7 p.m

• Sunday: Penguins in Winnipeg, 3 p.m

(Photo by Joel Blomqvist: Claus Andersen / Getty Images)