Penguins Wrap: Major Milestones; Mixed Results; Jarry Dilemma

It was a newsworthy week for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the news came in assorted flavors. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby provided the highlights when they each reached a major offensive milestone in an emotional comeback victory, then held court in entertaining fashion postgame. That same night, it became more obvious than ever that goaltender Tristan Jarry is struggling to the point that it puts the team in quite a quandary. With rookie Joel Blomqvist off to a strong start in his NHL career and Alex Nedeljkovic nearing a comeback from an injury, it will be interesting to see how things with the goalies play out both longer term and on the big western trip the Penguins are about to embark on.

In the meantime, the Penguins could not ride the momentum of that comeback win in their next game and now need to start building their point total.

To catch up on a busy week, click the links.

Saturday: In sign that a goaltending situation was brewing, the Penguins chose to ride the hot hand for their game in Toronto, going with rookie Joel Blomqvist. Coach Mike Sullivan putting Blomqvist in net Jarry on the bench sent the message that there is a controversy.

It wasn’t Blomqvist’s fault. The Penguins made too many mistakes and fell 4-2 to the Maple Leafs. There were ups and downs, but ultimately the team overall earned just a C-minus.

Fans don’t hear from the Penguins ownership group often, but they can rest assured the bosses are watching. In a rare interview, Fenway Sports Group chairman Tom Werner made it clear during a stop in Pittsburgh that he and his colleagues are feeling impatient.

Sunday: Sullivan tried. He really did. He attempted to downplay the goalie problem. That, and what it’s like for the French Canadians to play in Montreal in a Penguins notebook.

Monday: Three games in, it wasn’t too early to take a look at who is standing out for the right and wrong reasons. Guess which sides Blomqvist and Jarry fell on in this look at stock up, stock down.

After making a couple lineup changes, including scratching rookie winger Rutger McGroarty, the Penguins got three points from Malkin on Canadian Thanksgiving in a 6-3 win at Montreal.

Tuesday: The Penguins were in great need of secondary scoring. It was an obvious mission for president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas during the offseason. There are signs that things could be better with the new fourth line.

Wednesday: First came an assist for Sidney Crosby for his 1,600th career point. Then came a goal by Evgeni Malkin to give him 500 in his career. That was all wrapped into a comeback 6-5 overtime win over Buffalo.

Crosby and Malkin were full of smiles, wit — Malkin cracked that he was proud of himself — and appreciation. After such a big night, the two stars and longtime friends were equally good in their postgame interviews.

There is every reason to think that Rutger McGroarty has a bright future with the Penguins. For now, though, he will work on things in the minor leagues after being sent to the AHL.

Almost lost in the big night was some injury news. New forward Blake Lizotte, who has been recovering from a concussion from a fluke preseason incident, took a big step.

Thursday: There is no reason to call it anything other than a concerning issue with Tristan Jarry, and that puts the Penguins in a tough spot. A thoughtful breakdown from Dan Kingerski.

Adding to the goaltending drama, Alex Nedeljkovic is close enough to returning that he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning stint. That gave the Penguins a small cushion of time for some decisions.

Friday: Saying that Blomqvist would start again and that Jarry is not playing his best, coach Mike Sullivan finally addressed the goalie situation head-on.

Once again, it wasn’t Blomqvist’s fault. He was solid, but overall the Penguins were far from their best, closing their two-game homestand with a lackluster 4-1 loss against Carolina.

If being blunt is a good thing, then the Penguins played it right — at least after the Carolina game. From alternate captain Kris Letang to vocal team conscience Lars Eller to Sullivan, there was an expressed displeasure with the team effort.