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Penguins Face Alarming Issue After Major Weakness Exposed
Photo credit: Edit from PensBurgh
The Pittsburgh Penguins need to figure out their goaltending situation in a hurry if they want to avoid a repeat next season of giving up very ugly, bad goals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins never really stood a chance this season, and shaky goaltending was at the heart of their collapse. Tristan Jarry, who at one point seemed like the long-term answer in the net, became a liability.
With a huge $5 million-per-year contract, Jarry recorded unimpressive statistics and became a symbol of the Penguins' goalie woes, and it's expected that changes will be in order at the start of training camp.
He allowed early goals too often, which resulted in an eye-popping stat, as Pittsburgh allowed a goal on the first shot in 15 games, which, astoundingly, is nearly 20 percent of their schedule.
"Penguins goaltenders allowed a goal on the first shot of the game a remarkable 15 times in 82 games - 18.2 percent of the Penguins' games this season. Mario Lemieux's career shooting percentage was 19 percent. So, basically, it was like Lemieux was shooting the game's first shot against the Penguins this season."
- Josh Yohe
- Josh Yohe
Jarry's early-season play got the team going in the wrong direction. He was waived and sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, not once, but twice.
And while he showed signs of progress at the end of the NHL season after they called him up, his second trip to the AHL didn't give anyone a whole lot of confidence.
Jarry's stats this season were well below his career averages
Jarry ended up finishing the season playing 36 games in the NHL, where he won only 16 of those games, and had a 3.12 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage Those stats were well below his career averages.
It may be too much of a gamble for Dubas to pray that Jarry has a better season next year. While Jarry continues to struggle, Dubas and the Penguins may be compelled to look elsewhere for assistance, and they may have the answer waiting in the wings.
Sergei Murashov, perhaps one of their top premier up-and-coming prospects, can be the answer that the city, team, and fans require.
With solid statistics abroad and the on-ice poise the Penguins have been without until now, Murashov is a shining light for the future of the organization. If the Penguins are going to come back next season and hunt for a playoff spot, it starts in the crease.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 22 | 132 ANSWERS Penguins Face Alarming Issue After Major Weakness Exposed Are you confident Kyle Dubas will set up the Penguins with a better goalie situation next season? | ||
| Yes | 66 | 50 % |
| No | 66 | 50 % |
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