Goaltender Tristan Jarry gets 1st win as Penguins beat Canadiens

Tristan Jarry’s pursuit each and every time he steps into the net for the Pittsburgh Penguins is obvious.

“To win more games, that’s always the goal in mind,” Jarry said Sept. 18 in Cranberry. “I want to win as many games (as possible).”

Jarry achieved the desired result Monday as he directed the Penguins to a 6-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

After giving up six goals in a season-opening loss to the New York Rangers and serving as the backup to rookie Joel Blomqvist in the next two contests, Jarry made 24 saves on 27 shots Monday, and his record improved to 1-1-0.

“(Jarry) made some good saves, timely saves, especially at the end,” Penguins forward Lars Eller said to media in Montreal via audio provided by the team’s media relations staff. “Good team effort.”

Eller spearheaded that effort by scoring his first goal of the season 6:54 into regulation.

Pushing the puck into the offensive zone on the left wing, Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi pulled up on the half-wall and drew in Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson. Taking advantage of the ice vacated by Hutson, Eller surged to the top of the left circle, accepted a pass from Puljujarvi and stroked a wrister to the far side by the glove of goaltender Sam Montembeault. Puljujarvi and defenseman Marcus Pettersson had assists.

The Penguins doubled their lead at 16:49 of the first period via forward Rickard Rakell’s second goal.

Off some strong work by Penguins forward Michael Bunting in Montreal’s right corner against Hutson and Canadiens forward Josh Anderson, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin flicked a pass off the end boards to the lower rim of the right circle for Rakell, who lasered a wrister by Montembeault’s blocker on the far side. Malkin and Bunting tallied assists.

Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle got his team on the scoreboard only 87 seconds later with his first goal.

Accepting a pass at the left point of the offensive zone, former Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson maneuvered toward the high slot and faked a pass, juking Penguins forward Noel Acciari out of position and perhaps his soul. With the brief moment of independence opened up by that ruse, Matheson offloaded the puck to the top of the right circle where Guhle cracked a one-timer that found the back of the cage by the glove of a sluggish Jarry. Assists went to Matheson and forward Nick Suzuki.

Things were tied 2:51 into the second period when forward Juraj Slafkovsky scored his first goal during a power-play sequence.

Settling the puck at the left point of the offensive zone, Matheson fed a pass to the top of the right circle for Suzuki. With Slafkovsky claiming a volume of open real estate not seen in Quebec since Jacques Cartier, Suzuki slipped a pass to the left of the crease where Slafkovsky tapped in an easy forehand shot by Jarry’s left skate. Suzuki and Matheson had assists.

Rookie forward Emil Heineman’s second goal supplied the hosts with their first lead at 16:23 of the second frame.

After Penguins forward Kevin Hayes tumbled to the ice in the offensive zone while battling for a puck, Heineman took possession and created a two-on-one rush with linemate Oliver Kapanen against Pettersson. Gaining entry into the Penguins’ zone on the left wing, Heineman scorched a wrister by Jarry’s glove on the far side. There were no assists.

Eller persisted and tied the game 127 seconds later.

Claiming a loose puck in his own right circle, Eller reversed course, turned up ice and embarked on something of a wild adventure. Shrugging off a check attempt by Matheson, Eller hustled through the neutral zone, gained the Montreal zone on the right wing and went wide against Slafkovsky in the left circle. Gaining just enough space with that determined maneuver, Eller snapped a wrister to the far side above Montembeault’s glove. No assists were recorded.

Hayes’ second goal restored a lead for the Penguins at 7:45 of the third period.

Corralling a puck on the right half-wall of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson gripped and ripped a wrister that struck Acciari, positioned to the right of the cage. The puck bounced to the other side of the crease where Hayes was able to bury it with a forehand shot by Montembeault’s right skate. Acciari and Karlsson claimed assists.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang got in on the act with his second goal at 11:32 of the final frame.

From behind his own blue line, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk chipped a puck up ice and gained the Montreal zone on the right wing, creating a three-on-one rush with Malkin and Letang. As Matheson vacated the slot and pursued the puck, Grzelcyk tapped a pass to the right circle for Malkin, who one-touched the puck to the slot where Letang lifted a forehand shot by a beleaguered Montembeault’s blocker. Malkin and Grzelcyk had assists.

“It’s always special to play in this building,” said Letang, a native of Montreal. “But to get a goal, it’s always pretty cool.”

Malkin capped the scoring with his first goal on an empty net at 18:45 of the third. Grzelcyk had the only assist.

Notes:

• Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea made his season debut. Logging 15:39 of ice time on 20 shifts, he recorded three blocked shots.

• Malkin (1,303 points) surpassed former Penguins forward Jarome Iginla (1,300) for 36th place on the NHL’s career scoring list.

• In 50 career games against the Canadiens, Malkin has 64 points (22 goals, 42 assists).

• Rakell (112 points) surpassed defenseman Mario Faubert (111) for 81st place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• The Penguins scratched forwards Rutger McGroarty and Valtteri Puustinen and defenseman Jack St. Ivany.