Jarry Wins WBS Debut, Named No. 1 Star

It’s been several years since Tristan Jarry started a game for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. As part of the ongoing melodrama involving Jarry’s struggles and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ crowded crease, the team assigned Jarry to WBS Saturday morning on a conditioning assignment.

Jarry, 29, promptly stopped 32 of 34 shots and earned the No. 1 star as WBS beat the Syracuse Crunch 3-2 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Conditioning assignments can last up to 14 days.

It was the first time since the 2018-19 season that Jarry played for WBS. The following season, he nudged ahead of Casey DeSmith for the Penguin’s backup role and soon afterward muscled past starter Matt Murray for the No. 1 job. The following summer, the Penguins traded Murray to the Ottawa Senators, and Jarry has been the Penguins’ starting goalie ever since.

However, struggles at the end of last season, followed by immediate struggles this season, relegated Jarry to third goalie behind Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic.

Penguins prospect Tristan Broz scored a goal and registered an assist. He was the No. 2 star. Sam Poulin scored his second goal of the season, and Emil Bemstrom had a pair of assists in the winning effort.