Penguins’ Tristan Jarry returns to lineup vs. Blue Jackets following conditioning stint

Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry is set to make his return to the lineup Friday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets following a two-week conditioning stint in the AHL, per Penguins team reporter Michelle Crechiolo.

Following a challenging start to the 2024-25 campaign in which he won just one of three appearances while combining for an .836 save percentage alongside a 5.47 goals-against average, Jarry accepted a 14-day trial run with the minor-league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to refine his game. There, Jarry impressed as he found the win column in four of his five outings, while putting up an impressive .926 save percentage coupled with a 2.16 goals-against average.

“I want to come back here and I want to play well,” Jarry told Crechiolo earlier this week. “That’s my goal, and that’s what I want to do. I want to help this team as much as possible. Whenever I’m in the net, I think (it’s about) giving them a chance to win, and helping this team get in a good place.”

Jarry, 29, is in the second year of a five-year pact that carries a $5.375-million annual cap hit, per PuckPedia.

Originally chosen 44th overall by the Penguins in the 2013 NHL Draft, the Surrey, B.C., native has made 260 career appearances with Pittsburgh and owns a winning record of 137-86-25. Jarry has been especially dominant against the Blue Jackets, where through 11 appearances against the Ohio club he has come away with an 8-1-1 showing.

On the season, the Penguins sit 6-9-3 and three points shy of a playoff position. Pittsburgh has not qualified for the postseason the past two years, while in recent weeks Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas has reportedly declared the club open for business and has already moved veteran center Lars Eller to the rival Washington Capitals for a pair of draft choices.