UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The chants started raining down on Tristan Jarry at 6:36 p.m., the raucous crowd at Nassau Coliseum letting the Penguins goalie know before the puck had even dropped that they expected it to be another rough night.
“Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry!”
Jarry had given away two wins to the New York Islanders already, the last one quite literally with his stickhandling gaffe in Monday’s double-overtime loss in Pittsburgh. Now the series, and a once-promising season, hung in the balance in Game 6. A potentially transformative offseason was waiting if the Penguins lost.
“Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry!”
Jarry would melt down one more time Wednesday night, costing the Penguins yet another game in their first-round playoff series. The Islanders eliminated them with a 5-3 win. The Islanders won three straight games to take the series.
Jarry stopped just 19 of 24 shots for the Penguins, who never stood a chance.
Jeff Carter scored 1:27 into the game but the lead lasted less than four minutes. The Islanders raced up the ice on a 2-on-2 and Anthony Beauvillier beat Sidney Crosby to the net. He roofed a backhand to score on their first shot.
“Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry!”
Jake Guentzel scored his first of the series to restore the lead. But Jarry gave it right back just over a minute later. Jean-Gabriel Pageau flung the puck on goal. Jarry had a chance to smother his shot but let a rebound leak out to Kyle Palmieri.
After that soft goal, Guentzel fired the puck into the boards in frustration.
“Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry!”
Coach Mike Sullivan during his Penguins tenure has typically displayed a deft touch with his handling of goalies. But he opted to stick with Jarry even though a clear lack of confidence in Jarry was affecting the composure of his players.
Jason Zucker scored on a deflection 1:53 into the second period to make it 3-2. But the Islanders soon buried Jarry and the Penguins in an avalanche of goals.
Beauvillier blew by Crosby at the blue line and placed a one-timer on a tee for Brock Nelson. Thirteen seconds later, Ryan Pulock scored off of a faceoff, a major issue for the Penguins during the series. Nelson then dribbled a shot between Jarry’s pads. With three goals in 2:59, the Islanders ran up the score to 5-3.
“Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry!”
Jarry was far from the only Penguin who struggled in the series. Crosby had another quiet postseason, with a minus-3 rating in the loss and just two points in the series. Guentzel took a beating and couldn’t finish on offense. Brian Dumoulin had two costly lapses in Game 5. Kasperi Kapanen had a minus-5 rating entering Game 6.
But even with just average goaltending, the Penguins probably win this series.
Instead, they have now lost 13 of their last 16 playoff games under Sullivan. They are 0-4 in elimination games since their consecutive Stanley Cup wins.
Pittsburgh entered the 2021 playoffs with high hopes after the first-place Penguins overcame so much adversity during the first two months of the season.
Training camp started in January with the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the team took great care in keeping players, coaches and staffers safe.
Jarry, their new No. 1 goalie, had to bounce back after a worrisome start.
Two weeks into the regular season, general manager Jim Rutherford blindsided the franchise with his abrupt resignation during a long, snowy road trip.
Few teams had players miss more games due to injury than the Penguins. Early on, it was their blue line that was decimated. When March rolled around, they lost a few key forwards, most notably Evgeni Malkin, for extended stretches.
Despite it all, the Penguins got rolling in March, climbed the East Division standings and surged down the stretch to win their first division title since 2013-14.
But for the second time in three years, the Islanders took them down in the first round. Now franchise-altering decisions are waiting for them in Pittsburgh.
Will new general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke bring back Sullivan after another early exit at the hands of a less talented team? How much will the new front office alter the team’s on-ice identity? Did Malkin, Kris Letang or another Cup winner just play their last game with the Penguins?
And, yes, the Penguins have a massive question mark in the crease after shaky play and a shocking lack of poise from Jarry cost them during these playoffs.
As the seconds ticked down on Wednesday’s loss and potentially the end of an era in Penguins hockey, Islanders fans voiced their appreciation one last time.
“Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry! Jarrrrrry!”
