The Casey DeSmith experiment didn’t last long. After giving up three goals on 15 shots in relief of Matt Murray last night as his NHL debut, DeSmith will head back to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry. DeSmith also took a delay of game penalty when he shot the puck over the glass early in the second period, a rough start to his NHL career.
Jarry, 22, is the better prospect of the two goaltenders and had previously made his NHL debut last season. While the Penguins seemed to want him to start and develop in the minor leagues the need for goaltending help is apparently too great. Pittsburgh already jettisoned Antti Niemi after he failed to show NHL-caliber goaltender, and with Matt Murray struggling to find his Stanley Cup form, the team needs someone reliable to turn to. Murray has just a .903 save percentage so far this season.
The Penguins are now 7-5-1 on the season, but carry the third worst team save percentage in the entire league and have given up the most goals against (though, their 13 games played leads the league as well). If Jarry can provide some stability behind Murray, the team obviously has the talent to be Stanley Cup contenders. They also obviously know the value of a good backup, after holding onto Marc-Andre Fleury last season only to need him in the playoffs once again.
Hey Bap, what’s going on in Pittsburgh? I am hearing & reading about the struggles that usually don’t happen to the Peguins. It sounds as though the defense is struggling & you are not getting the goaltending that is usually very consistent there