The Pittsburgh Penguins have to monitor the situation with Tristan Jarry and the best option right now is to play Casey DeSmith.
PITTSBURGH - The goaltending situation with the Pittsburgh Penguins has started to get a little rocky, and it isn’t exactly clear what direction they should go in.
Over the first 15 games of the Penguins season, both Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith have seen their fair share of games.
Jarry has played in nine games with a record of 4-3-2, while DeSmith has appeared six times for a 2-3-1 record.
What makes things complicated, however, is the most recent stretch of games; Jarry hasn’t won a game in five starts and has been dealing with ‘physical issues.’
Jarry is supposed to be the starter for the Penguins but has been getting outplayed by DeSmith recently.
Thanks to the elevated play from DeSmith, head coach Mike Sullivan is putting him in to start against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This will be DeSmith’s second match against the Leafs in just a couple of days and it might be the smart move.
With Jarry not fully healthy, you can’t put him out against one of the strongest offenses in the NHL.
The Penguins need the best opportunity possible to win, and right now, DeSmith is the more reliable option.
Until Jarry is 100% healthy again, it is a safe bet that DeSmith will see more starts than Jarry.
The Penguins hope whatever is bothering Jarry won’t last very long, because when he is at his best, the team can be unbeatable.
Not that DeSmith isn’t a solid option for the moment, but he doesn’t bring the same skill or longevity a healthy Jarry does.
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