Rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist, optioned to the AHL on Thursday, has established himself as Pittsburgh's best goaltender. How can they open an opportunity for him? After 30 games, the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They have the NHL's worst goals-against total (114), goals-against average (3.80), and 28th-ranked save percentage total (.888). Why are things so bad? Let's examine the numbers to see how many subpar performances have kept the Penguins at or near the bottom of the goalie statistics. Note: The statistics represent games played by Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Joel Blomqvist. 970 - The Penguins have given up the second most shots this season, trailing only the San Jose Sharks (1,014). .968 - On Nov. 29, Tristan Jarry recorded a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins, making 30 saves on 31 shots, the highest SV% performance by a Penguins goalie this season. .888 - Pittsburgh ranks 28th in the NHL in team SV% at .888, tied with the Montreal Canadiens, and slightly better than the Philadelphia Flyers (.884), Colorado Avalanche (.882), and Columbus Blue Jackets (.878). .400 - On Oct. 16, Jarry recorded the season's worst SV% total, giving up three goals on just five shots to the Buffalo Sabres before being pulled. 61 - Eight defensemen have played for the Penguins this season, combining for a minus-61 rating. Four players currently sit in double digits, including Matt Grzelcyk (minus-14), Erik Karlsson (minus-12), Kris Letang (minus-12), and Ryan Graves (minus-10). 32.3 - Pittsburgh allows an average of 32.3 shots per game, which ranks 29th in the NHL behind the Anaheim Ducks (32.9) and Sharks (32.7). Oct 1, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a save against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwMDM4MDc5NTM1MTk1NTE0/jarry.jpg] Oct 1, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) makes a save against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images 19 - The total number of games in which the team has given up four or more goals. Their record in these games is just 3-14-2. For perspective, the Penguins have only scored four or more in nine games. 18 - The NHL average for goals against per game is 3.03. However, the Pittsburgh goalies have registered 18 games with a GAA higher than the league average. 14 - The Penguins have surrendered a special teams goal in 14 games this season, including 13 games with a power play goal and one contest with a shorthanded goal. 13 - The number of games in which the Penguins goalies recorded an SV% of .900 or better. The NHL average is currently .900. 3.80 -The Penguins surrender 3.80 goals a game, 32nd in the NHL. 5 - Pittsburgh has only five skaters with an even or positive plus/minus total, including Blake Lizotte (plus-3), Owen Pickering (plus-2), Sam Poulin (plus-1), Philip Tomasino (even), and Vasily Ponomarev (even). 4 - Four NHL teams, the Penguins (114), Sharks (107), Avalanche (105), and Blue Jackets (101) have given up more than 100 goals this season. 3 - The number of wins the Penguins have recorded when surrendering a single goal. 0 - Number of shutouts recorded by a Pittsburgh goalie. This season marks the first time since 2009-10 the team hadn't shut out an opponent in the first 30 games. That year, the Penguins didn't blank someone until game 71. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwNjYwNDIwMDI3OTUwOTI5/thnpitbanner.png]
