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Penguins Wrap: The Goalie Shuffle; Ned’s Night; Road Trip!

What a roller coaster the past week (or so) has been for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They went from sullen and frustrated over an important homestand to dealing with the first big shoe to drop, to opening a crucial extended road trip in spectacular fashion and then getting a cold dose of reality.
It seems the Penguins’ playoff hopes are riding on every win or loss, and things did not look good after they squandered lots of points and opportunities in those five straight home games. It sure seemed like something big needed to happen, and it did.
The Penguins essentially moved on from goaltender Tristan Jarry in a bombshell move and turned to rookie Joel Blomqvist to see what he can do with a real shot in the NHL. In the meantime the club’s other veteran goalie, Alex Nedeljkovic, who might have been expected to twiddle his thumbs a good bit to give the kid a shot, said not so fast as he stepped up to steal a game in a splashy way.
There were also a few odd stories surrounding the team, including a car accident, a robbery and a real-life grinch.
Because we are coming to you a day later than usual, you get eight days’ worth of content to review.
As the Penguins put a split of the first two games their pocket while heading into the rest of the trip that will take them to the end of January, you can catch up on the busy week. Click the links.
Saturday: The Penguins’ needs seem to be many, but they might have addressed a couple of them in-house. Namely, a third-line center and right-side defenseman. The team seems to be finding solutions.
They were coming off a huge win against high-flying Edmonton, so things were cool, right? Nope. Even holding your nose probably was not enough to get past the stink coming off the Penguins in an embarrassing loss at home against Ottawa.
It was a chaotic game, and there was plenty to dissect and plenty of blame to go around — and that includes the game officials. It’s all in the Penguins report card.
Sunday: Remember Ty Smith? The defenseman who formerly was in the Penguins franchise went on waivers. That got PHN to wondering if the Penguins might consider him a good fit.
In one of the odder incidents of the week, Penguins winger Michael Bunting did not play against Tampa Bay. He wasn’t hurt, but he might have been shaken up. A couple hours before the game outside PPG Paints Arena, he was involved in a car accident.
Another opportunity was wasted as the Penguins improved their play — there wasn’t much room to go anywhere but up — but could not find a way to win against the Lightning.
Yes, the Penguins played better. Yes, it came down to the third period. But the loss was the product of the Penguins’ struggles in trying to produce offense at key times. It’s a big flaw, as outlined in the Penguins report card.
In another weird incident, one that certainly got the fans’ attention at the game and ended up going somewhat viral, a guy became a villain when a boy shook loose a puck from the netting, only to have the man steal the puck.
Monday: Maybe many were thinking it, or feeling it. PHN’s Dan Kingerski said it out loud. Or at least he wrote it. He sure called it. He put out the bat signal for Joel Blomqvist.
Tuesday: The Penguins have gotten wins against some of the better clubs in the NHL. They have also lost to teams that on paper they should have beaten. Where does that leave them? PHN’s Dave Molinari calls it the mushy middle.
With the final game of the five-game homestand coming up, the Penguins got some good news. Injured center Evgeni Malkin and Bunting, who was in that car accident, would be available.
Oh boy. The promise of the homestand went down the drain. Stop us if you’ve heard this before. The Penguins gave up a lead and lost to Seattle.
Yet another odd story that had nothing to do with Xs and Os. News broke that a few days earlier, there was a break-in at Malkin’s home. missing were his Stanley Cup rings.
In the aftermath of the loss to the Kraken and a homestand that went sour at 1-3-1, the Penguins were frustrated. And coach Mike Sullivan was left fuming about his players’ lack of commitment to play well defensively. Check out the report from the Penguins room.
Wednesday: What has happened to the Penguins has been frustrating and has hurt. That might be nothing compared with what could be the painful fallout.
Yup. You could feel a big move coming. PHN even called for this one specifically. Before practice, the Penguins announced that they were putting goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers.
After making a move, that big, fans were owed an explanation about moving on from Jarry, who was set to be demoted to the AHL and turning to rookie Joel Blomqvist. That came in an interview session with Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas.
Jarry struggled. Things happened. Still, his teammates were affected by the big news. One in particular could empathize. Read Alex Nedeljkovic’s take.
Thursday: So the Penguins are paying Jarry big money to play in the minor leagues. PHN took a look at buyout scenarios and what might happen in Jarry’s future.
The Penguins got a scare when leading goal scorer Rickard Rakell left practice favoring his hand, but Sullivan downplayed it. It’s in the practice report.
Every other team in the NHL could have claimed Jarry. None bit. That might have had a lot to do with his cap hit and contract term. So, as Dubas had outlined, Jarry was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and the team recalled Blomqvist.
Seven games. Across the country. Taking up the rest of January. For a team on the brink after missing the playoffs the past two years. Yeah, the Penguins’ road trip could be called a last stand.
The off-ice stories continued. This time, it was a bit of good news. While the investigation into the break-in at Malkin’s home was ongoing, it was announced that his Cup rings were found.
Friday: There were questions about where P.O Joseph would fit, at least beyond depth when the team’s defensemen were healthy, after he rejoined the Penguins in a trade with St. Louis. But now he seems to be fitting in and enjoying things playing on the right side.
The road trip certainly began differently than the homestand ended. The Penguins played a solid enough game. They netted three power-play goals. And, oh yeah, Nedeljkovic scored in a win at Buffalo.
Nedeljkovic not only scored — we have video — but he also made NHL history. As some of his teammates and Sullivan noted, he was a fight shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick. Check out his goalie goal.
The win, as big as it was, might have been overshadowed by Nedeljkovic’s game. He provided what could be a huge boost to the team, as outlined in the Penguins report card.
Saturday: Even with an older club, the Penguins have defied some odds to put together a stellar record in back-to-back games.
The Capitals have undergone the type of rebuild-on-the-go that the Penguins are striving for. It’s working really well. That was evident in the Penguins’ loss at Washington.
Joel Blomqvist acquitted himself well in his first start since his promotion from the AHL. But the Penguins struggled to score, were lethargic at the started and needed more from a few players and areas. It’s outlined in the Penguins grades.