DeSmith allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Penguins loss in San Jose on Saturday. DeSmith will make his third straight start having stopped 62 of the 65 shots (.954 SV%) in his previous two starts. Tonight he faces a Hurricanes team that has lost three of their last 10 (3-6-1).
DeSmith has played 80 minutes with the Penguins this season, stopped 20 of the 24 shots (.833 SV%) that he faced. During his time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton he has gone 12-5-1 with a 2.53 GAA and .915 SV%. DeSmith’s recall suggests that something is up with Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry.
DeSmith came up to backup Tristan Jarry while Matt Murray was out for one-game, but with Murray back over the weekend, he returns to the AHL where he has gone 10-5-1 with a 2.72 GAA and .911 SV% in 17 games.
DeSmith, 26, has gone 9-2-1 with a 2.29 GAA and .924 SV% in 12 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. With Matt Murray leaving Monday’s game following a collision with Jakub Voracek, DeSmith’s call-up suggests that Murray will miss some time and roll with DeSmith and Tristan Jarry as their goaltending duo. In his only NHL appearance, DeSmith allowed three goals on 15 shots during a relief appearance in a 7-1 loss in Winnipeg.
DeSmith was recalled to serve as Matt Murray’s backup after Antti Niemi was claimed off of waivers by the Panthers. DeSmith made his NHL debut on Sunday, replacing Murray in the first period and went on to allow three goals on 15 shots.
