There will be tougher games ahead, for sure. I can think of two later this week, Thursday night and Saturday night against these same New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Then, of course, there will be a difficult first-round playoff series against Boston, Carolina or New Jersey.
Relax.
There will be plenty of time to fret about those challenges for the Penguins.
But not today.
Today is for appreciating the 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins didn't play a perfect game. There is no such thing. But they were especially good. They played tight, smart, disciplined hockey and led 2-1 after two periods, limiting the powerful Rangers to just 17 shots. They overcame a tough non-call in the second period when Rangers captain Jacob Trouba took a run at rookie Alex Nylander — of course, he did — and killed two penalties against one of the NHL's best power plays. They also survived another dubious non-call in the third period when Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck knocked down Evgeni Malkin from behind, a play that led directly to the Rangers' tying goal. They conquered that goal and the Rangers' subsequent push — "It didn't rattle our group," Mike Sullivan said — and were able to win on Kris Letang's third overtime goal of the season. They bumped their record to 7-1-1 since the 7-2 nightmare on home ice against Edmonton on Feb. 23 and pushed a little closer to their 17th consecutive playoff spot with the treasured two points.
All of it was impressive.
None of it was more impressive than what Tristan Jarry did.
"I thought he took a big step tonight," Mike Sullivan said.
It couldn't have happened at a better time for the Penguins.
Can we agree the team will do nothing in the postseason if Jarry isn't healthy and playing his best hockey?
We saw Jarry's value in the first-round playoff loss to the Rangers last spring when he wasn't able to play until Game 7 because of a broken foot. That injury introduced the hockey world to Louie Domingue and his spicy pork and broccoli. That might have been good for the hockey world, but it crushed the Penguins. We also saw how critical Jarry was to the team the spring before when he hardly played his best hockey — he was abysmal, actually — in the first-round series loss to the New York Islanders.
Raise your hand if you thought goaltending could sabotage the Penguins for a third consecutive postseason.
My hand is up high.
To say Jarry had been struggling coming into the Rangers game would be a colossal understatement. He had made seven starts since returning to the lineup Feb. 20 after a long injury layoff and given up at least four goals in four, including his previous three games. His goals-against average was 3.93 in those starts, his save percentage .869. The numbers had been 2.65 and .921 before he was injured.
That's why Jarry's 27-save performance against the Rangers was so encouraging.
"I thought he was real solid," Sullivan said. "It was a one-goal game all night long. He made some key saves for us."
I couldn't help but think of something Jason Zucker said last week of his sizzling streak, which continued Sunday. He scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game and has nine in his past eight games. He fired eight shots on Rangers goalie Jaroslav Halak, as did Sidney Crosby.
"I tell my kids all the time, 'Confidence is the world's most powerful drug,'" Zucker said.
I'm thinking Jarry might be a believer.
"It should give him a big boost of confidence," Sullivan said of this latest win.
The defense in front of Jarry was big against the Rangers. So were the Penguins' 21 blocked shots, including five by Marcus Pettersson.
"We're playing more of a complete game," Jarry said. "Playing harder in the 'D' zone. Putting pucks on net. We're just playing more of a team game."
That's great, but let's be honest:
Jarry has to be the Penguins' best player the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Sullivan blamed Jarry's recent struggles on a lack of practice time because of his injury. He likes to think Jarry will get enough work before the postseason begins in mid-April.
"When he's on his game, in my mind, he's as good as there is in the league," Sullivan said. "We believe in him. He's a terrific goalie."
