The Penguins played terribly Monday at Calgary. Only the continued brilliance of goaltender Tristan Jarry got an undeserved loser point.
Calgary’s forecheck and zone dominance were oppressive. The Penguins couldn’t get out of their own end for minutes at a time. They lost most of the puck battles.
The Penguins are a flawed team. Not fatally, but they lack in certain areas.
One of their deficiencies is an almost abject lack of physicality. That makes some opponents a difficult matchup.
Calgary is one.
Washington is another. In fact, the Metropolitan Division may be the most physical in the NHL. Not good.
But Jarry was amazing at Calgary, single-handedly keeping the Penguins in the game.
Jarry made 31 saves, many difficult. (The Penguins blocked 20 shots, which reflects time spent in their zone as much as anything.)
Jarry stopped a four-on-one. I can’t remember the last time I saw a four-on-one.
Jarry even made five saves in seven shootout attempts, negating at least temporarily a prior weakness.
But the Penguins were rotten. Even if Jarry plays up to what has become his usual level of excellence, Wednesday’s visit to Edmonton and Connor McJesus could be a turkey shoot.
Thumbnail via Getty Images.