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Penguins Send Struggling Goalie to AHL

The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent their struggling goalie to the American Hockey League on a conditioning loan.

Nick Horwat

Oct 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a glove save against New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a glove save against New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been far from happy with their start to the 2024-25 NHL season. One of the big reasons for the Penguins’ early-season struggles has been the poor goaltending from two-time All-Star Tristan Jarry.

In three appearances, Jarry has given up 12 goals on 61 shots and holds a .836 save percentage and 5.47 goals against average. In an effort to revitalize Jarry’s play, the Penguins have sent him to the American Hockey League on a conditioning stint.

Jarry will play with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to try and find what made him a premier goalie in the NHL. In order for him to be moved to the AHL, Jarry agreed to the move and can be there for a maximum of 14 days.

The Penguins briefly carried three goalies to start their Western Canada road trip with Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic returning to health, and top prospect Joel Blomqvist.

Down the stretch of the 2023-24 season, Nedeljkovic essentially stole the starting job from Jarry, making 13 starts in the final 13 games. It didn’t take long for Blomqvist to essentially do the same thing to the start of the 2024-25 season.

Blomqvist has played the most minutes of any Penguins goalie with 288 and five starts. He has a 2-3-0 record with a .911 save percentage and 3.34 goals against average.

Since Nedeljkovivc returned from a preseason injury, he has appeared in two games with an 0-1-1 record, .869 save percentage and 3.86 goals against average.

It’s been rough waters for Jarry, dating back to last season, and the Penguins are running out of patience with him. He’s in the second year of a five-year contract that earns him $5.375 million annually.

In the final years of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era in Pittsburgh, the Penguins want one last chance at the Stanley Cup. They’re not going to get it with Jarry playing like this.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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